


Roundhouse Kick or Romantic Kiss?

by CandyNight1256



Series: Opposites Attract [1]
Category: ARMS (Video Game)
Genre: Explicit Language, F/M, M/M, My First AO3 Post, My First Fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:13:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23533612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CandyNight1256/pseuds/CandyNight1256
Summary: After yet another won sparring match against one of his fellow fighters, Jacob, also known by the public as Springman, starts to notice some things that he has never felt truly before towards fellow ARMS fighter Riki, also known as Ninjara. Little does he know, Ninjara is starting to catch them as well and is having the same issue - uncertaintyWill either gain the gall to admit and tell? Or will it end in a broken friendship?
Relationships: Ninjara/Spring Man (ARMS), Ribbon Girl/Kid Cobra
Series: Opposites Attract [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2021524
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. Sudden Emotion

**Author's Note:**

> (I do not own any characters within this fanfic, and am doing this simply for the fun of it)
> 
> HOOOOO boy, my first writing Im posting to the public. Im not that talented of a writer, so if there are spelling errors, grammar issues, etc. I apologize in advance to anyone
> 
> The rating will change as the fic goes on due to plot points (I will warn in the notes at the beginning when that happens), but for now its mature due to language
> 
> Anyways, hope you all enjoy this first fanfic of mine dedicated to my favorite ARMS ship, Sprinjara (along with other favorites along the way, but Sprinjara is the primary one)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spring feels proud for winning yet another spar
> 
> But after a talk with Twintelle, he starts to take something into consideration...

The wind was blowing, the petals were flying, and the stairs were covered in explosion marks as well as spills from tanks of blue healers and yellow super boosters. It felt like a long fight, but in the end, one man stood victorious.

Standing at the top of the stairs, panting from being worn down to the point where his entire body was glowing with red charging energy, was a blue coily haired individual with long blue spring like arms, both of which were extended down into burning red gloves that connected with the concrete below his red shoes. Every part of his showing fair skin was drenched in nothing but sweat.

He looked down to the other person on the field, their thin but tough body, mostly covered by black, blue, and green gear, laying at the base of the stairway.

Sitting about a foot away from them was a pair of chain-like glasses that had been launched off moments before. He too was coated in nothing but sweat, but it was mostly his pale face and blue mask. He started to attempt and sit up, but failed when he noticed his disabled chain-link arms laying around him until they met up with two gloves hooked to blue circular blades. He looked up to his opponent at the top, some strands of green hair drifting into his face.

The battle was long and grueling, but at the end of the day, there could only be one victor on the field.

"And it looks like the winner of today's match, by a short mile, is Springman!" Someone shouted through a microphone.

Springman turned to the announcers box, smiling when he saw the familiar short yellow man clapping, the hand atop his head giving a thumbs up.

"And what a match too! Both fighters were practically brought to their knees! Well, that's all for now folks! Tune in next time when we see the next sparring between two more talented competitors!"

\-----

It was all over. Finally. Springman walked to the bottom of the steps once his arms re-hooked. He took off both gloves and slung them over his shoulder, both connected to a string that held on rather tightly. He got down to his knees and held out a hand to the man practically passed out.

"Nice try, Ninjara. Maybe next time." He said with his classic dorky smile.

The other man sighed, shaking his head and allowing the other man to help him sit up and re-hook his chain arms. Spring got nervous when he didnt say a word, walking with him to the back so both could get a towel and a drink of water. _Why am I suddenly like this?_ The tall mans thoughts ran. He knew Ninjara was the silent type, but yet...

"Something wrong, mousier?"

The man jumped when he heard the voice, but calmed when he realized who it was and turned. He was currently in the public locker rooms after all. Standing near him was a woman with dark skin, and long hair. In particular, long white hair lined with pink strands pulled back into two ponytails, that soon came together where the ponytails met into some pink lines. She was currently wearing her classic white turtleneck top, her hands separated from her normal arms with

a yellow bracelet each, and black pants that led down into her black heels. She smiled as her teal eyes stared down into the ocean blue eyes of the other man.

"Oh... Hey Twintelle." He chuckled, sitting on the bench as he wrapped a yellow towel around his neck, his red breastplate he usually wore during fights removed to show off his white T-shirt with black hems. "You just scared me is all.."

The older woman giggled, sitting down beside him. "That was quite the spar you and Ninjara had out there on the field

"Yeah... Ninjara sure as hell learned how to fight. Had the fucking upper hand until he managed to unleash his super, the bitch.." He never meant it when he swore out the other fighters. He did it all the time as a joke.

"Well that's not very nice to call someone, Spring." Twintelle chuckled, knowing this fact. The two chatted for sometime before something became clear to the silver screen queen. She tilted her head as she spoke up to the other fighter. "Hey.. You look uneasy about something. Whats the matter, an Cherie?" "Hm?" He perked up, his mind mostly dwelling on what he would grab to eat afterwards. "What do you mean, Twintelle?" "For one thing, as of late whenever you end up sparring with Ninjara, you always apologize. Another thing is whenever you have a team spar with, say myself, Ninjara, and one of the new fighters, and Ninjara is on your side, you make it your goal to ensure he escapes with no hits."

"Uh... I.... I dont know.." He looked away a moment, twirling one of the strands of blue hair that dangled beside his face. He hadnt realized it got that bad. He flinched when he felt the woman gently place a hand over his shoulder reassuringly.

"There's no need to feel ashamed, Springman. Im only concerned that something is distracting you and ensuring your safety is put on the line to protect Ninjara."

The younger fighter leaned forward, resting his arms on his short covered thighs, a look of confusion clouding his face. Was he really _that_ determined to ensure Ninjara was out of the battle unharmed? He did remember one group spar where he had gone blinded all of a sudden when Ninjara got knocked out. Other than that, he didnt remember if he had any other experiences.

"Perhaps its wise to speak with him about such a matter." Twintelle suggested, sitting up in a mature fashion next to Springman. "It could help find a resolve you both could work with, and determine what is causing you to suddenly go crazy over him."

"Wait.... Twintelle, what are you implying by 'go crazy over him'? Your suddenly not-"

"Im suggesting you have feelings for him." She interrupted, a slight chuckle escaping her glossed lips when the mans face suddenly went as red as his mask.

"N-no way! There's no way in hell I have a crush on him! Even if I did, its fucking clear he doesnt see me as anything other than a fellow fucking fighter!" He stood up as he protested the thought. He himself had never had a relationship in his life. Crushes, sure - one of them at one point had been his long time best friend Ribbon Girl - but NEVER a crush so intense he got defensive.

"Well, it would line up with the symptoms you've been showing as of late. Your determined to ensure their safety, you want to see them happy, you feel bad whenever they lose at your hand or you hurt them... Its all there."

"Only reason I'd know if I had a crush on him is if I suddenly lost my appetite, couldn't sleep, or didnt feel like talking! Other than that, I dont see anything else. I think it may just be some stupid phase Im going through." He circled his blue hand around in the air as he spoke, resting his right palm against the wedge right above his elbow that hooked his forearm and arm together when his springs were hooked. He wanted to think it was something else, but secretly, he did decide to keep a mental note.

"It was a mere suggestion. Im not outright saying your falling for him. Its best to consider it and continue accordingly, ok?" Twintelle stood up, putting both of her hands on the mans shoulders with a grin.

"... Alright. Thanks Twin." Spring commented, smiling as he was pulled into a motherly embrace. He chuckled as he hugged her back. After, they bid each other farewell and went their separate ways.

\-----

As he arrived at the small food court within the league hall, he got his usual - a Pepperoni Pizza with extra cheese along with a cola - and sat himself down at a table. Whilst he waited, he rested his arms against the glass surface in front of him and began to get lost in thought.

_AM I getting a crush on Ninjara?_ His thoughts began with. _It seems like the most reasonable option at this point... But what if it IS a phase? What if Im just going nuts? Maybe I just want to be better friends with him and dont think hurting him on accident will get me that far. Yeah, that could be it! .... No, then we would be making friendly advances rather than him walking away from me... Uugh! What is it?!_

He jumped with a squeak when he felt a firm, cold hand grip onto his shoulder. He turned to see Ninjara's stone cold gaze looking down at him. He had a tray that contained what appeared to be a bowl of ramen noodles. He choked out a slight breathless laugh, then looked up at him.

"H-hah. Scared me there, buddy! Something you need?" He kept his composure, hiding the concern that was dwelling in his mind. Without saying a word, the other man walked to the other open seat at the table, tilting his head towards it. After getting the hint, Spring nodded with a grin and allowed Ninjara to sit across from him, speaking up as the man.

"Still a tad bit salty about the match? I'd give you some fries so you can get rid of it, but I didnt exactly order any." Spring chuckled, attempting to lighten the suddenly stiff air between the two with a joke. When he looked up to see if the man got it, all he saw was a blank gaze and a waterfall of noodles that the ninja just inserted into his mouth.

"... Uh yeah. Never mind, that was a horrible joke." He admitted, scratching the back of his neck. He went silent for a moment, watching the other man eat his meal. He got up to go get his a minute later, coming back with his stuff and sitting down across from Ninjara once more.

"I guess I should ask this now. How come you wanted to sit with me rather than someone like... Say... Mechanica? Or KC?" He tilted his head as he took a bite of the slice he had received, cheese stretching from his mouth to the crust.

Ninjara continued to remain silent, swallowing a bite he had dwelling in his mouth. His glaring ruby eyes looked up to the other man.

"... Guess it was a stupid question to ask, I apologize. Maybe its best if-"

"... Your easy to talk to..."

Springman froze a moment, his fingers lingering over the tray his meal rested on. The sudden voice confused him. He looked around a moment, then looked to Ninjara. He was the only other person here. Did he...?

"... You may talk loudly and for long periods of time... But your easier to talk to than either of them... Only other person I can talk to normally like that is Twintelle..." The usually silent man spoke up, holding a bite of noodles on some chopsticks.

"O-oh! So you _DO_ talk." Springman looked genuinely shocked at hearing his voice, not noticing his cheeks were suddenly dusted with a shade of pink.

Ninjara sighed, setting the chopsticks down in the bowl. "Of course I can talk.... I just made the executive decision to rarely do so.... That or only speak in my native language..."

Springman nodded, taking a bite of his pizza.

"And before you ask... Your easy to talk to since, while yes you seem to talk rather quickly and jump around, your mindset is focused on one objective and one alone.." Ninjara lifted up the chopsticks and took a bite of his meal as well, slurping up the noodles that didnt make it past his lips.

"Got it." The man said with a mouthful of cheese and pepperoni.

The two men talked for about half an hour before Ninjara heard his name called from a distance from someone. They had finished their meals luckily, so Ninjara wasn't in a rush to finish. When he went to pick up his bowl, Springman grabbed it with a grin.

"Here. I'll get that for ya. You go on ahead."

"You sure...?" He spoke, his voice lowering down to a whisper. It was clear he was still uncomfortable with speaking in a public manner.

"Yeah! Maybe later I could walk you back to the university?"

Ninjara looked down a moment, but sighed with a nod. "... I'd like that.... Thank you..."

Springman expressed his classic smile to the shorter man, waving to him as he walked over to a couple of people standing near the locker rooms. After Springman passed the dishes off to the counter, he began to walk to one of the entertainment rooms in the vicinity to think, still holding his bottle of cola.

_... Is Twintelle right about the crush thing? ... Its starting to seem less like a suggestion.... And more a possibility....._

Once he was inside, he sat down on the couch and took a sip, shrugging.

_I need more evidence..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that was an experience
> 
> I apologize if any French people read this and get offended with Twintelle. I suck at French stuff so help me Lord above XD
> 
> This started off with me shaking nervously in my seat, and ended with me more determined to get this done. Wonder what'll happen down the line?
> 
> Stay tuuuuned!~ ^ v ^


	2. Starved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Ninjara makes his way back with Springman, as promised, he starts to wonder if hes suddenly become rather ill
> 
> He hasn't eaten much lately say for that ramen...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to see the OTHER side of this ordeal
> 
> Wonder what level Ninjara's at with this whole "relationship" ordeal

Ninjara felt the cold breeze gently wipe at his face, a faint whisper being carried off by the breeze. He was finally allowed to go back to his dormitory to rest and prepare for classes.

He had changed out of his gear and into something a bit more comfortable; He wore his classic blue hoodie where the collar covered his chin, and was lined with stripes of green and had sleeved striped with light and dark gray in succession until they met with his silver hands. He had also changed into some more baggy comfortable blue pants with the outsides lined with green as well. They rolled down until they made it into a pair of black, blue, white, and green boots - ones where the big toe was separated from the others.

He still had his green hair yanked back into a split off ponytail holder that changed it into a ninja star kind of shape. He never usually took it out until he got back. The main reason he didnt start the walk, was because he was a man of his word. He promised he would walk back with Springman, and he would keep to it. _It'd be considered rude, after all... To just walk off without him..._ He thought to himself. _And I maybe silent... But Im not a rude individual... I never go back on my word no matter what it is..._

"Well lookie who's just chillin' here waiting for me!" Ninjara flinched as he heard the voice. He knew it too well, but it always scared him.

Turning to face the man that was going to walk back with him, he noticed how.... Different he looked out of his classic fighting gear. He was now wearing a light gray hoodie along with some long black sweatpants with his logo strapped over the right pocket, which he could clearly see the mans phone resting in. He still seemed to sport his classic red sneakers and red strap-on wristbands for his wrists.

He approached Ninjara, putting his hands in his pockets and smiling. "Ready to go?"

He simply nodded, seeing a realization collect within the other mans blue eyes. He started to move, Ninjara following close behind as some of the others started to go about their daily lives. Turning back to look over at a couple of the others, he noticed something that made him flush when thinking about himself and the man beside him.

One of the female fighters stepped out with a twirl, wearing her classic shoulder-less turtleneck, frilled pink skirt, yellow leggings, and green and yellow tennis shoes. She hummed a soft melody as her ribbon-like ponytail swirled around her. After a moment, her gentle sky blue eyes turned to face a man walking out that was.... One of the more unique fighters int he ring. Wearing a purple hoodie and baggy dark jeans, he quirked his head to the side as he looked at the woman. After a moment, one of his large purple hands covered by a black fingerless glove held out a small flower to her. With a grin and happy little squeal, she took it and hugged him.

He faced forward and shut his eyes gently, remembering something that had happened earlier in the day... In the locker room before his spar....

\-----

"Hey, Ninjara." The rusty voice spoke. Approaching him was a man in what appeared to be skater gear, and a mask covering his entire face. He took a seat on the bench next to the ninja

"... Ah... Cobra..."

Despite hating the man, Kid Cobra was one of the only other fighters Ninjara felt comfortable speaking up to - say for someone like Twintelle of course.

"So.. I heard your next spar is with that spring kid, huh?"

"... You are correct... Although I think we all know how the match will turn out..." He leaned against his tightly gripped legs. These pants always felt like a second skin on him...

KC looked to him a moment with the tilt of his head. "Hey.. You alright?"

"... What do you mean by that?"

"Well, for one thing lately, you've only spoken in English to very few and silent to the rest of the world. I know your still learning and such, but its clear its worrying your fans, as well as the rest of the fighters you refuse to speak to." The man admitted, gently placing a hand on one of the ninja's metal shoulders.

"... I've had school lessons, tests, and practice on my mind..." He spoke as he leaned back against some of the lockers, arms crossed, and his red eyes staring to his Chakram gloves next to him.

"It isn't just that, Ninjara. You've rarely eaten at all with us - as well as seemingly become attached to watching specific match-ups - ones where _Springs_ in them."

"That says nothing..."

"Actually.." KC started. "It says _QUITE_ a bit. You get mad when he loses, excited when he wins... Heck, you actually SMILE around the guy! And everyone in the league knows that's rare for you to smile ear to ear." He made the motion with his large fingers over his face, despite it being hidden from view.

Ninjara shook his head disapprovingly. He never noticed he had ever smiled around the other guy at all. He went to make a small comment, but stopped when the loud speaker in the locker rooms rang out.

_"Will Springman and Ninjara please make their way out to the field. Its almost time to make ends meet!"_

"Always hated how they worded those..." Ninjara spoke up as he stood to put his gloves on and head out. "Anyways, its nothing to worry about... Im a vegan, so I have a habit of not eating for certain amounts of time, and I dont smile around Springman..."

After that, he thought he heard his name being called out to him as he walked away... It kept getting louder.... and louder.....

  
\-----

"Ninjara."

He snapped back to reality with wide eyes, turning and looking about the area. He was in the local market area near his school. How...?

"You ok buddy?" Spring asked as his apparent tight grip on the mans shoulder lightened up. "You spaced out on me."

"H-huh? Oh... Apologies... I had something on my mind... What were you saying?"

"I WAS asking if we could go grab a bite to eat or something before we make it back to the school." He smiled down at him.

_Is.... Is he doing this on purpose?_ Ninjara thought to himself. _Hes insinuating a date-like scenario..._

"... I appreciate the offer, but Im not that hungry in all honesty."

".. You sure? The only thing I've seen you eat today is that ramen bowl."

_... So I **haven't** been eating much lately.... Cobra was right for once? _"I will be fine, Spring. Remember, Im vegan."

"Vegans need to eat as well - even if its just the classic salad situation."

"I said I will be fine, Spring! Now stop asking!" He snapped his jaw and growled at the other man, fists clenched as he saw him back up with a worried expression. After that, nothing more was said.

_... Hes never this quiet.... Did I screw up...?_

\-----

"Welp... Here we are!" Spring nervously spoke up, the two finally arriving at the college campus. "Anyways, I'll see you at th-"

He couldn't finish before he noticed Ninjara suddenly sprint away from him to get to the dormitories. He did want to say goodbye, but since he yelled at Spring about wanting to take him to get something to eat, his gut began to tighten and he felt horrible. He thought he had done enough damage.

He slowed down once he made it to the building, walking in and heading up to his room. He shared it with two other guys that were here at the college as well. He sighed when he noticed that, once again, they were both crashed on the couch surrounded by empty bottles and bags of chips. Guess he was on clean up duty. Again.

He walked to his room, shutting the door as he looked at the plain sight. A couple posters for the ARMS League hung over his bed shoved into the closet on the far left wall from the door, a desk where he could write across from it, a dresser against the wall near the mahogany frame, and the crown jewel - a golden Shiba Inu pup laying in a small cozy doggy bed right near the pillow of his back, closest to the back wall.

"Peaches.. Im back." He purred, smiling when he saw the little pup wake up with a stretch. When she noticed, a smile crossed her lip and her tail began to wag within seconds at a rapid pace.

He chuckled, approaching the little puppy and petting her head, laughing when she jumped up and curled around his neck, in the collar of his hoodie, and happily yipped up to him. It felt like he was now wearing a fluffy scarf that could move around whenever she felt like.

He chuckled again, unzipping his hoodie and removing it, wearing nothing but a black T-shirt underneath, the sleeves covering the tops of his metal shoulders. Once it was fully off, he let it drop to the floor, his feet trailing over to the chair in front of his desk. He sat down, allowing Peaches to stay around his neck as he began to work on some papers he needed to get done. After a moment, he looked over to his phone. Someone had sent him a text message.

He picked it up a moment and checked. It was Kid Cobra. With a sigh, he opened it up and saw what the snake man had to say.

-Hey, Ninjara. You got a moment for a call?-

_Ah great..._ He thought. He looked to his incomplete papers, then to his phone as he replied.

-You know what..? Sure. However, it'll have to be over face time.. I have some papers to finish..-

-Deal-

A moment later, Kid Cobra had sent a request to start a video call. Ninjara hit the answer button and set it up in a little clay frog phone stand he had. He began to remember how he got it, looking at his phone attempting to connect the call sitting inside, with a smirk. One of his fans had made it for him when it had come out he had a small thing for frogs. It was a younger fan, so it wasn't that good, but it at least worked. After a couple moments of silence, he finally heard the other man on the other line.

Ninjara couldn't help but chuckle with a grin when he got to see Cobra's face out of the mask. It was a rare sight for anyone - say for him and a certain special someone on the other mans life. His skin was rather dark, and his hair was pretty black with some spots where it was slightly brighter. The other man let his hair out of the bun it was resting in so his gear could be put on, and it fell down to the end of his shoulder blades, some trailing over the other side of his purple scaled shoulders.

When he turned to face the actual camera, his two differently colored eyes went wide. Ninjara always forgot the man had Heterochromia, purple left and green right. _Why does that always slip my mind..? Its kind of obvious once someone sees him multiple times..._ After a moment, the other man smiled, lifting his snake-like nose up slightly.

"Sorry, saw the camera was buffering and I thought I had time to take my mask off."

"Your good.." Ninjara's smile slightly faded, his eyes drifting down to his papers as he spoke up again. "Whats the occasion? You dont usually take your mask off, even when video chatting with others."

"Eheheh... Well..." The man went silent, debating what to say as he scratched the back of his neck. After a moment, he grabbed something from off screen. "You know how Ribbon and I have been together for... What? Two-three months now?"

"I thought it was four, but what do I know?"He twirled a pen around as he spoke, tapping the tip against his lip as he let Kid Cobra continue.

"Anyways... There's something that hasn't exactly... Been right.." He went silent for a good couple of minutes, speaking up when Ninjara went to ask what he meant. "Neither of us have told the other what were feeling.. Uh... Me and Ribbon, of course!" He laughed nervously when he realized how he worded his sentence.

"I got it, dont worry.." The pale man chuckled slightly, Peaches sliding off his neck and jumping down into his lap. When he looked down to check on the Inu, he couldn't help but feel a small smile remain. She looked like a little cinnamon roll just laying there. After a moment, he looked back up, a straight expression staring back at the other man. "But... Why come to me?"

The other man watched as Ninjara set his pen down and finally yanked at the metal ponytail holding his green hair up. Once it was out, every last strand flopped down behind him. He set it aside off screen and rested his metal arms back on the desk, watching the other man patiently.

"I cant to you because your practically a clean slate. Sure you had a couple of relationships in your life, but your easier to talk to with something you've never fully committed to. Twintelle would lecture me, Mechanica's only 15 years old, most of the other guys dont get it, Biff isn't much help, I cant ask Ribbon cause shes the one I want to _confess_ to, and Max Brass hasn't had a stable marriage in his life."

Ninjara felt his eyes press shut when Kid Cobra mentioned he hadn't been single for most of his life. He wished he had... "What about someone like Misango..? Hes a clean slate.. Or, heck, even Lola Pop. You remember what happened with her in high school..."

He tilted his head. "Misango doesnt speak fluid English, and Lola Pop isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed with romance BECAUSE of moments like that." He leaned into his large palms, pinching the bridge of his nose with his large fingers and then holding his hand out to the phone screen as he added to his previous statement. "You're all I have left to talk to about this, ok? Im a nervous wreck and I have a date with her this weekend when the league's closed to give the fighters a break."

"... Best advice I have, Cobra, is be yourself and go for it... Im not much help either..." He sighed, grabbing his pen again and finishing one half of his assignment. "You have to remember, Cobra, those two relationships I've been in didnt end well because the partners I had were _just_ as horrible as my father..."

Cobra chuckled slightly, stopping when he realized the matter was... Rather pressuring on the college student. ".. Right. Anyways, I hate to cut it short, but I have a skateboard tournament of my own to get to."

It was Ninjara's turn to chuckle, a soft smirk growing on his face. "You never take a rest, huh?"

"Nope."

They laughed, said their goodbyes, then after finishing the call and his unfinished assignments, Ninjara got his school uniform on - a black ninja shirt, that had a similar hood to his fighting uniform on it, lined with green, with baggy pocket-less cargo pants, his boots, and a different set of silver glasses that didnt require what he regrettably called his "star-tail holder" he used for ARMS fights.

He looked at himself on a small boxed mirror he had hanging over his dresser, grabbing a black ponytail holder he had laying on the wooden surface and pulling his long green hair up and back.

"... Still dont get why I have to look like this when going to class..." He thought aloud, turning when Peaches twirled in a circle on her tiny white paws and with the wag of her tail. Ninjara couldn't help but smile while the little pups tongue dangled out of her small mouth.

"I wish you could understand..." He walked over to her, got down on his knees, and watched as she rolled over and hos hand drifted over her soft white belly. "... Maybe if you could talk, you could've helped the nervous break down I had..."

He froze when a low grumble sound made itself known. It took him a minute to realize... It was his stomach. With a sigh, he shook his head and stood.

"Food can wait... I have classes to get to... I'll be right back, Peaches."

He waved to the little pup one last time before walking to the mahogany door that would lead him out of his section of the dorm room.

_... I dont need to eat anyways... May help choke me up so I dont do what I did to Spring again..._

He shut the door and left the others knocked out on the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MY FREAKING GOD THAT WAS A LONG ONE!!! @ o @
> 
> I dont know why, but when I got to the video chat bit, I started to hurt and require an adult...
> 
> Anyways, hope you dont mind the little HC of Ninjara having a couple exes and a rather close friendship with Kid Cobra (& before you ask, IK Ribbon is 17, but RibbonCobra is adorable. Can I have this?)
> 
> I do understand this one was a bit more on the slow and depressed side with no swearing, but I dont really see Ninjara being a swear monkey
> 
> Hopefully we can finally see bondage, after that little scream incident, with chapter 3. Bye for now


	3. Awkward Approach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Springman and Ninjara finally decide to have a day together to bond and... hopefully become closer friends with one another
> 
> But what happens when someone attempts a comeback and makes an already rather awkward situation 10x worse?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [A note from me before I even begin writing this chapter]:  
> This chapters gonna feel SO weird to type...  
> Here we go

When Ninjara walked into the league early the next morning, exhausted from his classes and having to hold a to go cup of coffee just to stay standing, all he could hear was violent swinging and punching. He tilted his head and decided to go investigate, putting his phone into his hoodie pocket.

As he was waking up, getting his coffee, and walking over, he was having a long chat with Kid Cobra. His big day was tomorrow and he was nervous out of his mind. Ninjara had never heard the man voice crack until today, but he did multiple times. As a way to take things off the poor mans mind, he brought up the feeling of sickness he got after coming back to his dorm from classes.

"Eat something then!" Was all he got in response

He shrugged it off, but then it started to delve into _why_ he wasn't eating. One was, of course, illness. However, that was knocked down relatively quickly since Ninjara began to realize he never felt like vomiting or felt overheated.

Many other reasons came and went within their conversation, but one KC kept going back to was Spring. Ninjara was confused at the gesture, and shrugged it off. _Why did he keep bringing it back up again and again?  
_

Once he got to the league, he hung up and entered, only to hear the noises. Once he found the source, it was past the door leading into a small gym where the fighters could get a few practice swings. He pushed it open to see Springman had come early and was doing just that. He swung at one of the punching bags with his red Toaster gloves, sweating profusely the entire time. A loop of hair that hung over his head was drooped from what clearly looked like long hours of fighting this sand filled bag hanging from the ceiling.

Suddenly, Ninjara felt his face heat up just looking at him. He could sort of see through the mans clothes, and... He looked ripped. He shook his head and had an internal panic attack. _The fuck is wrong with me?! Why am I suddenly flustered?!_

Soon, he felt his heart jump when Spring yelled loud enough to echo across the entire room, slamming his right fist right into the center of the bag and sending it off its hook and into the ground, spilling the sand inside quite a bit through a tear that had formed from the force. He panted when it was over, falling to his knees to catch his breath.

"Wow... I've never seen you punch that vigorously..."

Spring jumped and turned to the door wide eyed, his expression calming when he saw who it was. His entire face was red, every open part of his skin was coated in a sheen of sweat, his hair was flopping downward, and the man looked exhausted.

"H-hey Ninjara... Didn't hear you come in..." He spoke through small pants he would make every so often, forcing himself to stand.

Ninjara grabbed a towel on a rack near the door, bringing it over to Spring so he could wipe his face down. As he watched the man begin to wipe down his face and arms, he felt his face heat up once more. He stepped away a moment to slap himself lightly. _Stop doing that! Your gonna make yourself look more ill than you already are!_

"Hey... Ninjara. I know your probably still heated from me taking you home yesterday, but... You still up for grabbing a bite to eat?" He stood up, wrapping the towel around his neck and smiling. "I was gonna take you somewhere casual, just to hangout. I could see why you got a bit..."

"... Aggressive....?"

"Exactly." He smiled, gently patting the man on the shoulder once his hand was clear of sweat. Didn't want to risk rusting the metal shut, after all. "Don't worry. I wasn't mad at you. I understood why you ran. Wouldn't be the first time anyways... Happened with Ribbon a couple of times when we first entered the leagues."

Ninjara said nothing. He didnt feel it was right. All he could do was look up into those intense sky blue eyes of his. Why were they so.... Appealing suddenly?

"You still up for the offer, or would you rather not?"

He didnt have to wait long for Ninjara to answer. He noticed the man smile, and felt his face heat up. It was rare to see him smile, so his initial thought was his body got excited to see him grin. "You know what...? I skipped over breakfast... I wouldnt mind it.."

"Great!" Spring smiled, gently throwing his arms up and placing his hands behind his head. Ninjara thought to himself a moment as a light chuckle escaped his lips. _I hope he at least stops sweating before we get there..._

\-----

It wasn't a long walk before the two decided to stop at one of the buffets within town. It had what the usual buffet had, areas where food and sides were laid out, a place to get some drinks, the whole shebang. As the two got in line to go ahead and pay ahead for their meal, Ninjara tensed up when he felt Spring's large hand rest on his right shoulder to get his attention. He looked up and let him speak.

"You can get whatever your interested in here. Im buyin'." He smiled down to his company, flinching slightly when he saw the other mans face, despite some of it being hidden behind his blue mask. _Why is he suddenly so adorable looking right now?_

Spring kept note of what he and Twintelle had spoken of the other day, but he didnt think it was that far. Ninjara sighed and looked away, beginning to wonder if the reason Kid Cobra kept coming back to was right. His face felt hotter than before.

_Stop thinking like this..._ They both thought, while not in a similar worded fashion, it still resembled that message.

Once the two got seated, staying in a back corner with a window for Ninjara's liking, they stood and went to go grab their plates. While they waited, Spring stopped Ninjara a moment and smiled to him*

"Hey. After we eat, you up for some practice? Maybe we could hang out after we start to head home from the leagues?"

He tilted his head slightly. _Why would he ask me to hang out with him? Were not exactly similar..._ "Why are you asking..?" _  
_

"Well.." Spring started, holding his plate with one hand, and scratching the back of his neck with the other. "... Lately, Ribbon pointed out last night when we were chatting over the phone I haven't exactly been a.... Fair fighter to you. Said it would be better if we hung out a bit and got to know one another. For what fucking reason, I have no idea. Could just be shit to get me to calm my ass."

The two chuckled at that. Spring knew he didnt have many friends even though he was a talented chatterbox - the man himself even knew that.

"Well... If its to calm your fucking ass down... I guess I could help - although I won't be-"

"Might wanna watch your mouth there, bud." Spring smirked playfully, covering the mans mouth with his hand, and of course didn't do it in a way that choked the shorter man. "And I thought I had the potty mouth."

The two chuckled, straying away to get their meals. Ninjara saw someone... _Way_ too familiar out of the corner of his eye that wasn't Spring, but decided to pay it no mind for now. After all, he wasn't here to walk off, he was here because he was invited.

Ninjara returned to the table and met up with Spring, talking with him best he could without suddenly panicking and speaking in his native language. At first, it was kind of... Awkward. Ninjara didnt know what to say, Spring kept rambling on about something he and a brother once did, and the conversations just turned into silent mumbles.

Soon though, Spring managed to say something right. "Lost my first spar in awhile to the 'little brat' the other day.. Thought I had her and then she played the grab game."

Ninjara slammed his form down and, through a mouthful of salad, he rolled his entire head and spoke up. "My GOD don't get me started! Shes 15 and knows how to use that mech like its her actual set of ARMS. Its insane!"

"Not to mention she can-"

Ninjara joined in alongside him. "-pack a real wallop with a whammer!"

They two stared at each other silently, not expecting to match up the same exact thought, then they fizzled into laughter. Sometimes one thing can lead to something like this. When Spring calmed down, he watched Ninjara stat to calm himself. He couldn't help but feel his heart press against his skin with every beat it made when he heard that hidden laugh, saw him try to catch his breath after calming down, and saw him smile warmly as if he were the sun itself.

Those words came back to him from his conversation with Twin... _"Im suggesting you have feelings for him."_

"Y-you still with me?" Ninjara pulled Spring from his thoughts once he managed to catch his breath from laughing.

He shook his head, then smiled, scratching the back of his neck as he got some food on a fork and spun it in the air slightly. "Heheh, yeah. Just... I've never heard you laugh before. Its new."

"Haven't felt the reason to..." He took a sip of the water he got along with his meal. After that, nothing more was said on the topic.

\-----

They continued enjoying their meal, chatting about going to possibly see a movie afterwards. The two appeared to be getting along real well. Yeah there were points where they had disagreements, but it never got to the point where they argued. Within a matter of almost a full hour, Spring felt like he knew Ninjara as well as he knew Ribbon Girl - since childhood.

It was one conversation, however, that caused Ninjara to break. And yet it started off on a simple joke.

"Lola told me this joke. It went something along the lines of 'If given a choice, would you rather give up all cheeses or all desserts?' or something like that."

Ninjara pondered it a moment. "Well.... That's hard. What about-"

And once again, together they spoke. "Cheesecake?!"

They laughed as Ninjara took a sip of his water. However...

"Well well well.... What do we have going on here...? A new flame, I presume...?"

Spring flinched when water splattered all over him. Ninjara spat whatever he had in his mouth when he heard that damned sultry voice. He turned to see a woman walking over with a body similar to Twintelle's, but shorter. As she walked over, those strawberry bouncy curls kept jumping around her, held back in two ponytails. Ninjara felt every part of his body begin to tense up, his metal hand being gripped by the woman's fair skinned fingers.

"... Ninjara.... Who is this?"

He flinched when he saw that dark glare look to the woman, then soften when turning to face him. "Its no one important, Spring.."

"So you consider what we once had to be null...?" She cooed as she tried to kiss his cheek. "That's rather vulgar of you, Riki dearest..."

"You dont have the right to call me 'dear' you bitch." Ninjara stood up, yanking his hand away. Spring just watched in confusion, unsure of what to do.

His face turned red when the woman turned to face him after Ninjara stood up. She looked like she had been in plastic surgery for just her body. Her face was the only natural thing, and even then it was clearly caked with makeup. "And who might you be, you handsome devil...?"

"No one you should worry about. We were leaving anyways." He didnt give Spring a chance to answer before he pushed the woman away and grabbed his blue wrist.

Spring jumped, wide eyes darting to the shorter man as he dropped his fork onto the seat. "Ninjara, wh-"

"Were leaving, Spring... Come on..."

He said nothing as he felt his body pulled away from the booth, turning to see the woman almost flaunt her features at him. Was she... Trying to lure him away? He flinched before looking forward so he didnt crash into anything, or anyone.

However, she didnt appear to want to give up so quickly. Spring pulled away from Ninjara to check and see if anything got dropped by patting his pockets down, freezing when he felt the woman hug him from behind. He didnt like how he could feel her tits press against his back purposefully.

"Oh come on.... You didn't even answer me or ask for my name or number.... How rude...."

The blue haired fighter didnt have to wait long before Ninjara had him yanked away and basically pressed into the ground behind him. He looked up to the other man as he glared the blonde woman down. He felt his throat tighten when he looked at how tightly clung those black pants were to the other mans pale legs.

"I SAID HES NO ONE YOU SHOULD WORRY ABOUT, MAYBELLE!" Ninjara screamed, keeping Spring behind him so the woman didnt try anything else.

The blue haired man looked up to Ninjara and spoke nervously, feeling his skin begin to heat up. "N-Ninjara... Do... Do you know her?!"

Ninjara went to try and deflect the question, but stopped when Maybelle began to speak. "You haven't even introduced me, Riki...? How rude of you... I thought we were close."

"Shut your trap before I do it for you." Is what Ninjara responded with. "And you have no right to call me by my birth name."

"Oh, don't be like that, Riki... Don't you remember the lovely times we had together? Just us against the world? Whatever happened to those glorious memories?"

Spring stood up behind the other man, jumping when he felt one of his wrists being gripped onto. "They died when I found out what you were up to when I wasn't looking, Maybelle... Now get out of my sight..."

After, he yanked Spring away. The air was dense and no words were said about her, even if in a silent pact.

For most of the rest of the day, the two simply went to places more comfortable. They looked around the gardens near the Ninjitsu University, they went to an arcade Spring enjoyed a ton when he was younger, and still loved as a 20 year old, then they ended things off by walking to a bar.

"Spring, you sure this last stops a good idea? Your only 20, and not exactly drinking age..."

"I'll be fine! I just have to know not to order something strong or order too much to drink. Could stick with water, actually!"

"Well... Alright... But if you end up in my dorm room drunk off your ass, the leagues gonna find out from me."

"I wont get drunk!" He grabbed the handle of the place and opened it up.

Little did Spring and Ninjara know, they were about to go through some shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three things
> 
> 1\. YIKES this chapter took a bit longer to come out. Im SUPER sorry! When I was writing, a lot came up (including Easter), I kept getting distracted with other things, & my mind kept blanking a ton due to Writers Block. Hope that doesnt end up happening again in the future. Sorry!
> 
> 2\. I've been debating it, and I decided in the future I'll draw corresponding images for some initial moments of this story. However, it wont happen right away considering it takes sometime. It is a plan, though!
> 
> 3\. Maybelle is a character I made up towards the beginning of the second chapter when I began to process in my mind "what would happen if Ninjara had another reason say for his father being a jerk?" Just thought I'd put that out there in case anyone's confused why she exists
> 
> Next chapter may begin the more... Intense behaviors, AKA where I raise the rating. I do know Springs 20 canonically, which isn't exactly 21 (the right age to drink), but Im kinda interested in trying something.
> 
> See you all soon! (& hopefully not after a month)


	4. Drunken Fumblings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spring decides to end the hangout between himself and Ninjara with a couple of drinks
> 
> But will he realize his mistake when things get a bit too overheated in his apartment before it hits him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating has been upped to Explicit due to the contents in this chapter  
> Hope if you still wish to read on, you enjoy whats going down anyways
> 
> (I did end up changing what I had in mind originally for this chapter due to a realization that didnt occur to me until too late. Oopsie doodles)

The two men walked down a sidewalk, watching cars pass by and others simply walk in the other direction than they were. Ninjara sighed, then looked down and felt his entire body tense.

"U-uh... Spring..."

He looked over and saw the shorter man point downward. He looked to see...

_WHEN DID WE SUDDENLY START HOLDING HANDS?!_ Spring panicked and yanked his hand away. When he saw Ninjara look at him concerned, he simply laughed it off and they continued until they arrived at a place that was before Springs apartment.

"A... gas station...?" Ninjara tilted his head, seeing Springs confusion. "Sorry... You just made it seem like we were going to an actual bar."

"Nah!" Spring scratched the back of his neck. "I know not to go near those. No way in hell they'd allow me through without an ID."

"Guess that's true... Although, it may look suspicious if you buy anything due to your age, Spring..."

Spring smiled to Ninjara after placing a hand on the mans shoulder. It took a moment of silence before it clicked with the other man what that smile was. He began to sweat as that dorky grin returned. His mind suddenly started to spin. _Wh... Why am I suddenly blushing like a bitch?! All hes doing is smiling and insinuating-_

"Oh come on, Ninjara! I'll pay you back for the drinks, I promise!"

He sighed, shaking his head and pulling away. "Fine fine... But if your coming in with me, buy something while your here. Otherwise its gonna still look suspicious..."

His body tensed as he felt himself being picked up by those large... Oddly soft blue arms and being squeezed. It took a moment of Ninjara struggling as Spring happily swung him around as he repeated a "thank you" every few seconds before the realization hit Ninjara could very well end up with broken ribs. Spring was a strong fighter, and many have said he had a rather tight grip that could actually break something if too rough. He set Ninjara down, chuckling nervously.

"R-right... Lets head in... Heheh."

\-----

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Spring smiled over to Ninjara, holding a green bag of chips that had a goat on the front that read, in big yellow letters, _Poppy's Poppers_. He pulled one of the chips out and, as the name suggested, popped it into his mouth, a satisfied grin appearing on his face.

Ninjara sighed, holding a bag with two clanging bottles resting inside. He paid for some pink colored drinks since Spring whispered a beg into him. The one thing that made him do it to shut him up was... How he stood behind him and got too close to his ear. _Nearly got too damn seductive with me... I fucking hate it..._

The two walked into a large gray colored building, and Ninjara decided to meet Spring by the elevator. He wasn't going to socially converse with the lady at the counter who his partner for the night was speaking with. Guess he was used to it.

Once inside, Spring smiled to Ninjara a moment. "Also, there's one thing I wanted to ask you while were alone up here."

"... Whats up...?"

It took the taller man a moment of finishing a popper in his mouth before he finally spoke again, staring at Ninjara right in the eyes. "You think while we're here in my apartment... We can just call each other by our normal names rather than our fighter names?"

The green haired man tilted his head confused.

"I know it's kinda dumb for the most part, but we don't have to be formal while were here at my apartment." He smiled once he finally caught the mans gaze. He winked with the grin turning into a smirk. "You can call me Jake while were up here, but I won't force it!"

Once the elevator made it to the right floor, Spring went to step out, but stopped when he heard Ninjara speak. "... Sure you heard it while we were out having dinner from that bitch Maybelle... But my actual names Riki..."

"Heh. Cute!"

Ninjara felt his eyes widen and his face heat up when he heard that. _He... He thinks my real names... Cute?_

After that, the two walked up to a door that Spring opened with a key he pulled out of his short pocket. When they entered, the first thing Ninjara noticed was the main area. It had a couch in front of a soft looking rug with a big TV sitting on top of a pretty nice looking entertainment center. Sitting on the coffee table in front of the beige couch was a bunch of empty pizza boxes and some comics that had been opened. Behind the couch a bit was a small bar set up with only two stools and a mini kitchen that clearly looked unused - which was expected of Spring considering the mans diet consisted purely of fast food.

Down a small hallway a ways was a door on the wall near the kitchen which was slightly open. Clearly the bathroom. At the very end sitting on a flat wall was another door with a hoodie hanging from a hook. Guess that was his bedroom. He looked forward and stared wide eyed when he noticed a sliding glass door covered with red curtains that had a small balcony.

"Make yourself at home! I'll clean off the coffee table and maybe we can watch a movie or something!" Spring walked off to the table, setting his chips down and picking up some of the empty cardboard pizza boxes.

Ninjara stepped in and closed the door behind him, looking around a bit. Some things he anticipated, but there were things that caught him off guard. He expected the mess, especially with some clothes hung over the back of the couch, but he didnt anticipate the soft gray paint on the walls, the soft dark beige carpet, or the balcony. Once he noticed the coffee table was cleared enough for them to use, he brought over the bag and set it down, pulling out the two bottles of pink liquid. He grabbed one and looked at the label. It had a weird looking pink deer and read in bright green outlined pale yellow letters, _Zachery's Sweet Life_.

"I didnt know your apartment had a balcony..."

Spring smiled as he picked his up and popped the lid open. "Yeah, isn't it sweet? It was like that when I got the place!"

Ninjara looked at the back of the label and flinched a bit. _WARNING: Not for any person under the age of 21. Contents are very potent. Drink at own risk_. "Spring, are you sure getting these was smart? There's a warning on the back I think we should-"

"Its fine, Riki! Don't worry!" He took a small sip, then flinched a little. After, he laughed. "Holy HELL that packed a cherry punch!!"

Ninjara sighed, knowing there was no way to convince the man otherwise, and he sat down with him as they turned on a movie and drank, also now sharing some of the chips Spring had bought.

As they continued on, both men started to feel slightly fuzzy. It didn't take Spring long before whenever he stopped taking a sip and finished swallowing what he had in his mouth, his head fell back and he laughed absent mindlessly. It took Ninjara a bit longer, and the main thing he had was slurred speech, but soon his mind fell asleep on him. He knew in his heart he wouldnt remember anything from tonight after sitting down.

"Hey, Riki... Can I tell ya sumtin....?" The other man asked, turning his drugged eyes over to Ninjara.

"Whats.... Whaz up...?"

"Haz anyone ever tol' ya you have.... Have da prettiez eyez...?" He swung his hands around as he continued. "They shin' like a ruby, ya know...?"

Ninjara shook his head, reeling back as he decided to just finish off the bottle he had. Once it was empty and it was a simple clear bottle, he set it down on the table. His hand was clearly going uneven when he noticed the bottle fell over. He fell back with a sigh. _Im getting too drunk... I need to find a way to-_

He was pulled from his thoughts when suddenly, the movie started to turn a bit sultry and Spring stepped up in front of him. He went to get up and move, but froze when both sides of his head were trapped by those large blue hands, and a knee rested mere inches from the center of his legs. The first view he even got of the man was slightly tented shorts.

"J-Jake... What're... What're ya..... Wh-" He couldn't finish his processing thought fully before Spring cupped the bottom of his chin, pressing the bed of his thumb against his lips. Ninjara began to sweat. He was drunk, but he still had some oomph in his body.

"Shush... Iz gon be fine... Iz just us..." And with that, it seemed like every inhibition had left the 20 year old. Spring leaned in a bit close for Ninjaras liking, but the green haired man couldn't move away or say a word to stop this. He felt Springs thumb slide down and being replaced with spit coated lips. He stared wide eyed as he felt his head pressed back into the couch. He tried to push back, but felt his wrists being grabbed and his hands held down. He was trapped.

_Wh... Why is he doing this..?!_ That thought kept running through Ninjaras mind as he tried to pull away and stop whatever the fuck was going on. However, nothing was working. He was stuck in this sudden kiss and couldn't have a single say. But after a good few minutes, he suddenly felt... Comfortable? Was that the word? In any case, he started to lean into it, his eyes fluttering shut as his entire body not only succumbed to Spring, but also the alcohol starting to make its way through his system. His mind finally ran a blank even as he felt his hands, once freed, place themselves on the other mans hips.

Once their lips finally parted and both men could breathe, something started to rise in the room. Spring drunkenly looked around the room, trying to see if whatever they were about to do was concealed. When he realized it was, he grabbed his bottle and poured quite a bit into his mouth. He swallowed half if it, set the bottle down, then pressed his lips into Ninjaras once more, except this time, Spring wasn't just gonna make it lips. He teased the other mans lips with his tongue, and it didnt take long before Ninjara nearly yanked back from the sudden drops of alcohol that came with allowing Spring entry. Once the realization hit what it was, the tensity left and his nerves unwound themselves.

They kept making out with each other for a couple minutes before Ninjara felt his body move so he was laying down on the couch, his head resting on the arm. Spring joined him, keeping himself pushed up slightly with his own arms. Something about this felt super intimate, but at the same time, the two of them were just at this point **very** drunk and any inhibition saying otherwise had pretty much completely vanished.

After a moment, Spring finally pulled back and stared down at the man below him. The only thing that kept them connected still was a couple strands of saliva that dangled from their lips. After a moment of nothing but panting, Spring chuckled huskily as he suddenly grabbed at Ninjaras jacket and, after unzipping it, yanked it off and tossed it down onto the floor, doing the same to the black T-shirt Ninjara was wearing underneath so his chest was completely exposed.

"J-Jake...?!" Ninjara tried to move himself up so he was sitting rather than laying down, but he was stopped when his upper back was against the arm of the couch.

All Spring did was smirk. "Shush... No onez here to watch us..." He dragged a finger up the pale skin before bringing his lips to Ninjara's jaw, then working down to his neck, relishing in those sudden gasps and growls coming from above him.

After sometime, both men had become shirtless, Ninjara yanking at the fabric of Springs shirt until the man sat up and pulled it off, only to set upon him again and begin leaving red welts with every place he kissed. The alcohol that they drank had completely set in now, to the point where there was no more thoughts and only action as the movie they turned on played out, making it sound like it wasn't just the two of them going at it.

Spring eventually urged Ninjara onto all fours on the couch, licking up and down the mans spine and sucking at random patches of skin. He wasn't going to give up on something like this until Ninjara was **covered** in welts and hickeys.

"J... Jus' do it..." Ninjara begged drunkenly, bucking backwards into him. Spring growled seductively as he practically ripped off Ninjaras tight pants, leaving the only article of clothing keeping the man below him from being completely exposed, his boxers.

"Hah... Ya drunk az fuck too, Riki...?"

All Ninjara could do at this point was nod in response as he felt Spring suddenly take out the metal ponytail keeping his hair together, feeling his long green locks flop over his back, some fall off his sides in green waterfalls, and others just flying forward in front of his face. As he sat up to brush some out of his face, he could hear the sliding of fabric and saw Springs shorts fly down to the floor, followed by his boxers. His face turned red with the drunken realization that as he felt fingers hook around the hem of his own underpants, there was a naked man now behind him.

He looked over towards the television as he noticed a blue arm reach down below the couch and pull out a bottle of lubricant. Why he kept it there, Ninjara wouldnt be able to know. He did go to ask him about it, but in that moment, he suddenly felt something cold touch his behind and caused his entire body to just twitch without control.

"Aw... Ya cold down 'ere..? Don't worry... I can w-warm ya up in no time..." Spring grabbed the sides of Ninjara's hips, his hands still a bit soaked from the lube as he rubbed it on his suddenly bulging erection.

Soon, Ninjara felt his nerves tense up and his entire body freeze as Spring shoved himself inside his ass. He pressed his face into the arm of the couch to cover up his sudden scream induced moan, his toes curling up as his entire body tried to push Spring out. However, he wasn't leaving or stopping until he got what he wanted.

Once they could feel themselves flush against the other, that's when things kicked off. Spring began to thrust back and forth in a real drunken blur, gripping onto the couch and relishing when he heard Ninjara below him try to push him out. Soon, he rammed back in and heard him pretty much scream into the couch and buck back against him. _Fuck yeah... I hit a good spot..._

"C-calm down, Riki... 'm not gonna hurt ya..." Spring leaned over the other mans pale back as he continued to thrust violently into him, getting close to his ear and smirking as he felt Ninjara shiver under him with every moan that would enter his eardrum. When Spring noticed one of Ninjaras legs falling off, he grabbed it and swung it around so it rested on his right shoulder, giving Ninjara a good view of what he was doing to his entrance.

Soon, Spring let his open hand drift to the back of Ninjaras head, grabbing a handful of green hair and yanking him so they were scant inches apart, and still going at it. Ninjara felt a tear well up in one of his eyes from the sudden _yank,_ but he appeared to be beginning to pass out.

"Aw c'mon Riki... You can't quit yet..." He pounded deep inside into the other mans prostate to wake him up, grabbing the nape of his throat and sinking a welt into the side of his neck that didnt have any markings yet. Once that was done, he started to mark as much of the mans chest as he could without hurting himself on his own ribs.

He stopped once he heard Ninjara start whining above him. "J-J-Jake... Please..."

As he continued to obliterate Ninjara on both the inside and outside, Spring noticed the man below him was starting to give in to the pleasure, mostly from the alcohol. He grabbed the other mans dick and started vigorously stroke it with each new thrust he made into the mans gut.

It didnt take much longer after Spring started stroking the mans cock before both of them really wanted to let everything they had bubbling up out. Spring began to double his efforts to try and get Ninjara to burst before him.

Once he saw Ninjara's head arch back at last, he squeezed around the shaft tightly and felt the cold, thick, white liquid begin to coat his hand as it leaked from the pink tip and trailed downward. It felt so nice...

After a good while, Spring finally stopped his thrusting, keeping himself deep inside as he groaned Ninjara's real name, letting his load out before finally passing out on top of the man.

They were both tired and ready to rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Never written drunk characters before. How'd I do?-
> 
> Ok, gonna clear a couple things up up before its mentioned in the comments,
> 
> 1\. I understand completely the drink & chips I mentioned that they got are NOT real. A friend of mine (they dont have an account on AO3) & I were talking about this & she was giving me some pointers, and asked for the "Zachery's Sweet Life" & "Poppy's Poppers" to be a thing in this (If said friend is reading this, your welcome!!)
> 
> 2\. Also yes, I do know when they weren't talking I called them by their fighter names rather than what they agreed upon, but I wanted to ensure there wasn't any confusion. Apologies if there are anyways


	5. When the Realization Hits....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of the drunken couch sex from the last chapter, Spring decided to simply hide everything from Ninjara in a ditch effort to keep their growing friendship alive
> 
> However... Is it just friendship that Spring wants...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. Gonna be blunt about this before we even begin so you can all prepare: This ones gonna be a vent chapter
> 
> & thats all I got. So strap in, get ice cream and/or tissues (if needed), & lets begin

The light shone through the window to the balcony right into Springs eyes. He groaned angrily as he sat up, rubbing his sockets.

"Rrgh... Five more minutes, god dammit..."

It didnt hit him until he went to grab where....

_Wait... This isn't my bedroom... Why am I on my couch? ... Why am I naked...?_ He let those thoughts run through his head until he looked down and...

"F-fuck!"

He noticed Ninjara's hickey marked naked body completely clocked out under him - and he was still inside the man as well.

He quickly pulled out and felt his face heat up instantly just staring down at that pale skin. "W-wh... What did I do?!"

In a quick few motions, he got himself back into his clothes after going to grab a towel and clean up what he could. Once that was done, he got Ninjara into his boxers, pants, and T-shirt. However, he noticed his hoodie and realized something he could try after grabbing one of the empty Zachery's Sweet Life bottles and reading it over again.

"... Maybe I can just drop him off...?" He thought about aloud, then decided that was his best bet. After writing a quick note, grabbing the mans ponytail and chain glasses to put in his own hoodie pocket for now, and tying Ninjara's hoodie around the mans waist, he picked him up bridal style, blushing as he felt the man groan underneath whilst sleeping, and began the trek from his apartment to Ninjara's dorm room.

Once he was inside, someone leaving the door unlocked for some unholy reason, he walked into the room that the ninja owned, smiling slightly when he saw Peaches sleeping in her dog bed. He set Ninjara down, put the mans metal ponytail and glasses down on the dresser, and went to leave. However, he got caught by Peaches as the shiba inu happily yipped to the newcomer.

He got down to his knees and gave her a treat, shushing her calmly. "Don't wake him up. He needs rest, ok?"

He pointed to Ninjara's resting body, and the pup nodded in understanding and sat down in her bed. Once that was done, Spring smiled and left him alone after leaving the note by the mans glasses.

Once that was done, he sighed and pulled out his phone to text someone as he made the walk to the league.

> _Hey, Twintelle? Can we talk...?_

\-----

A couple hours went by before Ninjara finally started to come to, mostly from the sudden feeling of wet on his face. When he opened up his eyes, he saw Peaches happily yipping for joy above him. He chuckled as he sat up and pet her.

"Well this is a sight I didnt expect to see... Glad to know your the one to wake me up, Peaches."

She happily yipped as Ninjara sat her down on the bed to grab his ponytail, which he noticed was out. After he put it up, he noticed the note that got left behind. He picked it up and read it over a moment.

Ninjara,

I apologize for the environment change, but you ended up passing

out on me and I felt it was only right I brought you back to your

dorm room. Someone left the door unlocked for some reason,

so I hope it was ok. I was in and out, I promise!

If we hang out again, lemme know, ok?!

~Springman

_Dammit, guys..._ He swore to his roommates. He wanted the door locked so no one stole their stuff. However, he understood what Spring was trying to do. Once he was all prepared, glasses and all, he headed out for the league, feeling... Fuller than usual for some reason.

\-----

His arms were resting on the table top, and he could barely keep his eyes open. He wanted to get food since he was hungry, but he didnt know what to get. _Why is my behavior changing like this? Is it guilt for what I did...?_

"Ah. There you are."

Spring looked up to notice Twintelle walking over, wearing her fighting gear as per usual. She sat down across from him as he sighed. "Ah... Hey Twintelle... Didn't think you'd show for a good while..."

She gently rested her arms on the table and looked at him with a mothers intuition beaming in her eyes. "Is something the matter? You dont look yourself today."

"Well... I royally fucked up, firstly..."

"How s-"

Spring interrupted Twintelle before she could finish speaking her mind. "I asked him if we could go get some drinks once we were done hanging out and, although the memory is fuzzy, I woke up to find me **inside of him.** "

"... Inside how?"

One look from Spring gave Twintelle all she needed to know. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Why would you believe drinking at 20 is a good idea...? What did you two even get?"

"I..." He couldn't finish the first thought without feeling choked. He sighed and decided to skip to the next one. "Zachery's Sweet Life... Thats what we got..."

"Spring, that's the WORST possible one to get! If a whole bottle is taken down, it can cause some bad memory loss as well as lack of energy!"

"... So... Ninjara wont remember a thing from the moment he took a sip to now?"

"Most likely not." Twintelle admitted, resting her chin on her right palm and giving Spring a weird look when the man sighed with relief. "But Spring... I dont want you doing something like that ever again. I may not be your mother, but doing something like that is VERY dangerous! One more swig could very well kill you."

"I wont touch it again, promise..." He sounded sincere, but also... Sad.

Twintelle gently put a hand on Springman's arm, frowning at him calmly. "Something else is bothering you... I can tell."

He nodded his head slightly as he rested his chin on the table. "Yeah... I dont know... I... Well... I've been thinking about what you said before in the locker room..."

"And that is...?"

"... That I had feelings for him..." He looked over to the doors as Ninjara walked in, noticing the man going straight for the locker room, speak of the devil, to clearly change into his gear. Once he left, he continued. "Well... Im starting to slowly get those symptoms and I dont know what to do..."

"Well... What makes you say you have the symptoms?"

"... I dont have that usual urge of wanting to eat, I couldn't sleep at all last night, I haven't spoken to anyone at all today say for you..."

Twintelle thought on it a moment, gently petting Springs arm to try and reassure him. After a moment of the two being silent, the only noise they could both hear being Springs uneasy breathing, she finally spoke up again.

"Springman, I think this is more than just having feelings for someone..."

"... What do you mean...?"

"Im suggesting you dont just like him, but rather, you _love_ him."

Spring shot up with a reddened face, wide eyes, and a shocked expression. "T-Twintelle, what lead you to that?! Ninjara and I are just friends!"

She rested her chin on the backs of her palms. "Your symptoms point to it - and its clear your going to hide what happened last night from him. No person would hide something like that from someone they care about."

Spring couldn't think of a good rebuttal, going silent and dwelling on it a bit more instead.

"Plus... It does explain why you wish to ensure hes doing fine when in a team battle, as well as the other behaviors you exhibited around him for the past... Month? Week? Its one of those, but my minds been dwelling on other things that prevented me from remembering."

"But... Twintelle, isn't that a bit stupid? Even if I do feel that way for Ninjara... He wouldnt return it in a million years.... He doesnt seem to wanna be around me at all, and whenever he is, its because someone arranged it. What happened last night was only because Ribbon originally wanted us to hang out for some reason she never gave me. And it ended with me making the worst choice of my life... One that I can't take back now..."

Twintelle simply sighed. "Spring... This is only proving your case even more. Your denying it all..."

"Im not denying anything! Yeah Ninjaras attractive and shit and adorable... And caring, and..." He went to say more, but something dawned on him. "... Shit..."

"... There you go. I dont need to say much else."

He sighed and nodded calmly, eventually leaving for the locker rooms to go change for a spar he thought would come soon.

\-----

On the way to his personal locker, he ran into his childhood bestie Ribbon Girl, her green stripped bouncy ponytail held up by a fluttery pink ribbon following her as she went to leave, in her classic cheerleader fighting gear and tennis shoes, ready to roll.

"Ah! High Spring!"

"Hey Ribbon.." He passed her and sat down on the bench, pulling his hoodie off so it was just his white black tipped tank top that covered his chest. Ribbon noticed right off the bat something was off and sat beside him. "Whats wrong? You look upset."

"Nothing..."

She stared at him blankly. "Spring, you can't fool me. I've known you since we were in Kindergarten. I know for a _fact_ when your lying or not."

He sighed. She was right. She grew talented at discovering when he was indeed upset. He looked at her as he fiddled his thumbs, deciding to simply come clean. "Alright alright... Well... I just had a realization I didnt want to come to fruition..."

"What realization? It couldn't be that ba-"

He interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. "I... I love someone..."

Ribbon gasped, then smiled, hugging her friend happily. "Aawww! Spring, thats adorable! Who is it? Is it Min Min? Maybe Lola Pop?"

"No... Its... Someone else..."

"It better not be me."

He chuckled. "Yeah, Im not gonna try that. Your with Cobra, and even then your 17 and I'm 20. I realize some people look down on you and Cobra being together cause hes 19, but us being a thing would be WAY worse."

Ribbon nodded in agreement, then happily smiled to Spring, leaning on her legs as she looked to his face. "Sooooo who is it? Is it someone I know? Someone new?"

"Its...." He trailed off before he said the name.

"I couldn't hear you, who is it?"

And then, looking at Ribbon straight in the face and throwing his arms above his head, "Im in love with Ninjara, happy?!"

Ribbon went silent, staring at Spring wide eyed. After a moment, she snorted, then chuckled, then dissolved into laughter.

"Whats so funny, Ribbon?"

"I could tell moment we met when you helped me on the playground you had a thing for guys! I called it!!!"

Spring rolled his eyes, but failed to hide the fact it made him smile to see Ribbon this sure of herself. "Yeah... Been gay since the day I was born. My issue though..." His smile faded away. "... Is if Ninjara even cares about me..."

Ribbon snorted as she calmed down. "I asked you to ask him to hang with you to see if a spark was there. I got too curious to answer my long running question!"

_She did it to see if I was gay or not?_ Spring thought to himself as he sighed. "What said I was bi or straight?"

"Well, quite a few things - especially with how well you talk to girls." She smiled a bit. "Even if you aren't trying to, they swoon every time you so much as look at them with that dorky grin of yours."

He chuckled a moment.

"Anyways, I gotta get going. See ya, Spring!"

He waved off Ribbon girl and began to stand, getting his red chest plate ready to go.

After a moment of silence, though....

"Your usually better than this..."

Spring jumped, turning around and looking up to the top of the lockers to see Ninjara already prepared for the day, in what he called his "frog position" and glaring down to the blue haired man.

"A-ah... Hey Ninjara. Ya startled me." Spring chuckled as he watched the man get down. He hooked up his chest plate completely once he was standing on the concrete floor again.

"You remember what happened last night? I dont remember us leaving the elevator for your apartment..."

"Well..... We basically just chilled out with some snacks and such and watched a movie!"

Ninjara glared him down a moment, noticing a change in his tone. "And why was I in my dorm...?"

"Did you not see the note I left? You crashed and it felt like the right thing to do." He pat the mans shoulder, smiling as he felt a bead of sweat begin to drive its way down the back of his neck. "I wont tell a soul, promise!"

It took a minute, but the ninja soon nodded in understanding. Spring was reckless and dimwitted for a 20 year old, sure, but he wasn't the type to break a promise without good reason for it. He wasn't _that_ self assured.

"Also... I wanted to apologize for Maybelle busting in and making things awkward..."

"Nah! Your good! Kinda made the evening more eventful honestly!"

The two of them laughed to themselves, then walked out and began to chat as they headed for one of the arenas. The whole way there, however, there was one thing on Springman's mind. _He doesnt seem to wanna be around me... Why do I still wanna kiss him a ton...?_

\-----

"That was really dumb what you did today, man!"

"Oh come oooon! It worked!"

Spring chuckled as Ninjara glared at him through the phone screen. They had come home from their day and had begun talking about their team battle they had with Lola Pop and Misango.

"I know you like throwing them into each other so their arms tie up, but it could cause actual damage, Spring!"

"The most that was done was they got stuck cause Lola's arms are actual candy. She was fine with it! Just be glad I didnt have a panic attack." He scratched the back of his neck, shivering as he remembered his fear of clowns. It _never_ failed to make him nervous when he sparred against Lola Pop. After that, he perked up when he noticed the time.

"Shit! I kept you up late! Sorry!"

Ninjara simply sighed, resting a hand on his right arm. "It's fine. I already studied for my exams tomorrow and I don't have any homework."

"But you still need sleep. Doesn't that help with brain function or some shit?"

"Yeah... But I dont really care..."

Spring sighed. "Don't make me fucking sprint for your fucking dorm and make you sleep, you ass..."

Ninjara smiled with a chuckle. _Damn it, why is his smile so adorable...?_ "Alright alright, Mr. Know-it-all. Im going..."

Spring said his goodbye to Ninjara, then hung up. He laid down on his bed, feeling super dumb. He perked up when he noticed he was getting a video chat from...

"Ribbon. Of fucking course shes staying up..." He hit the answer button and once they could see each other, he glared at her. "Ribbon, how many times have I fucking told you to not stay UP this late?!"

Ribbon giggled happily, dusting off her baggy sleep shirt. "I just wanted to check up on ya is all!"

Spring shook his head, then gently rubbed his face. "Well... I think its getting fucking worse..."

"Its only been one day that it dawned on you, Spring! Do you even know if it is love?"

The blue haired man simply nodded. "Symptoms got worse whenever Ninjara walked around with me, after my talk with Twintelle on the subject... Heck, I didn't eat anything after leaving the league until a couple minutes ago when the man yelled at me to eat something over video chat."

Ribbon chuckled a bit, undoing her classic pink and white ribbon and letting her hair out. "Guess you really _did_ get bitten by the love bug, huh?"

"I've barely gotten to know the man, but it feels like I've known him forever and not long enough all at once. Hes fucking cute, caring, his voice is heavenly.... Hes just a genuinely glorious person thats gone through so much bullshit he DOESN'T DESERVE!!"

Without a single warning in sight, Springman let out of his arms uncoil and slam into the wall to the right of his bed, nearly hitting a photo he had hung up of him and the rest of the league at a celebration party. He panted as he calmed down and Ribbon cut through to him.

"Cam down, Spring! I know you don't like that Ninjara's gone through a lot. NONE of us do. But the past is the past and we can't fix it. For now, I say get some sleep and think about if you really have a deep bite or not."

_Going back to the love bug thing, are we...?_ Spring sighed, recoiling his arm and looking down to Ribbons face on the phone. "Alright... Night..."

"Night! And dont destroy the apartment while Im gone, ok?"

"I won't..." He smiled a bit, then hung up after they had a gentle and more proper goodbye. He held his phone in between both of his large blue hands and flopped back down onto the bed, feeling it shutter a bit when he made contact with his sheets and pillows. _Why do I feel... Different tonight...? I don't feel happy... But why not...? Im usually real peppy, but I just feel super empty..._

While dwelling on those kinds of thoughts starting to flood his brain, he finally felt his body give and take him into the world of dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Uh oooooooooh. Springman caught a cause of the feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeels]
> 
> Remember how I said I wouldnt take over a month? Weeeeeell things came up again & it prevented me (Writers block being the big factor)
> 
> Either way, feels nice to get this one out for Pride Month! Hope your all doing well! ^^
> 
> (Also yes, Spring's fear of clowns is an actual thing - at least from what I've seen)
> 
> See ya in the next one!


	6. The Nightmares Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been a couple of weeks since Spring realized how he felt for Ninjara, and hes refused to admit it to the man himself because of the fear of rejection
> 
> Meanwhile, Ninjara begins to question something about himself
> 
> Guess its up to some friendly faces to help them out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Decided to do a small time-skip for this chapter from the previous one. I apologize if it makes people uncomfortable to do it in this manner, but I thought it could help progress the story easier from this point forward
> 
> 2\. Sorry for the break guys! I just simply had a lack of inspiration. But its back, so now I should be able to continue onward ^^

"I... I love you..."

He gripped onto the rose in his hand tightly, just staring at the other man in front of him, his green hair blowing with the wind.

However, after a silence flooded over them, he screamed as he felt his gut punched in by metal fists and then his entire body forced down by a ninja boot. He gasped from the shock as he stared up at the man keeping him pinned down, glaring at him in the darkest tone Spring had ever seen from him.

_**"Why would I love someone as impatient, annoying, and angering as you?"** _

_"N-NINJARA! PLEASE!"_

\-----

"NINJARA!!!" He thrust upward, holding his head as he heard himself pant and felt his skin be coated in a thin sheen of sweat. He stared at his hands, then around. It was... His apartment?

_W-was... Was it all a dream?_

He caught his breath more before finally standing up and getting his shorts on. Afterwards, he looked to a mirror he had leaning against a wall in his room, and looked himself over tiredly to see what he had to deal with before beginning his day.

He noticed a few things right away. His chest and whatever part of his legs were visible were still rather sweaty from the nightmare, his blue hair was now a massive tumbleweed not in its casual toothpaste like batch of swirls, his mask was slightly falling off of his face - although it was still on his face for the most part thank fucking god, his eyes were slightly red from most likely crying for some reason, his mouth was surrounded by pieces of dried up saliva, and he could feel his neck suddenly pop as he finally began to stretch his body a bit.

He twitched and lightly bit his lip as he popped more and more of his body that was tense from being asleep for so long and from that damned nightmare that he couldn't seem to shake out of his fucking mind. With a sigh, he grabbed some clothes and walked for the bathroom to shower.

While he was preparing to get in, he ended up calling Ribbon Girl for a bit. "Hey, ya mostly awake yet?"

"You know I wake up super early, Spring. Whats up?"

He sighed. "Can we talk once we get to the league? I need to vent again..."

\-----

"Miss Twintelle, you do not have to help me with my own chest-plate, I could've easily taken care of it on my own...."

Twintelle simply smiled as she hooked up the blue plate with her normal hands. "I understand, Ninjara. But I simply couldn't help but assist while I was here. You look like you didn't sleep a wink."

It was true. Ninjara couldn't get any sleep at all last night. Every time he tried to close his eyes, he couldn't stop hearing those cursed words in his head on repeat. _"Don't talk to me anymore..." "Don't talk to me anymore..." "Don't talk to me anymore..."_ And it wouldn't stop until he finally refused to shut his eyes again. However, he refused to admit that was the case. He has pulled all nighters before when it came to tests and such, so something like this wasn't a new experience for him at all.

"I am actually rather well rested compared to when I go all night to study..."

Twintelle shook her head, not believing that for a split second, then she finished up his chest-plate. "There you go darling. Its on now"

"... Thanks..." Ninjara simply stood up, walking out after bidding Twintelle farewell. He had made it a goal of his, after Twintelle caught on to his act slightly, to try and make himself look more awake than he is. But would that be easy? Or would it be as difficult as it is with when he pulls all nighters.

\-----

"You look like a complete wreck."

The blue haired man glared at the other woman that had joined him and Ribbon when they sat down. "No fucking shit, Sherlock..."

Min Min, or known by her stage title 'The Ramen Bomber', had accompanied Ribbon Girl and Springman once they had come in for the morning. What had made matters worse was she overheard Spring's entire rant about his nightmare, when he only wanted to confront his best friend on it.

"Im still gonna go back to my initial point of just coming out with it to him." Ribbon pat her childhood bestie's arm, not making any effort to have him sit up considering he was exhausted. "Just making things more hectic by keeping it all to yourself!"

Spring sighed as he looked up to both of the girls sitting in front of him. "Ribbon... I told you already, Im _scared_ to say anything to him. What if he doesnt feel the same...? Or what if he thinks its some fucking stupid-ass joke coming from me?!"

"... For once Im not the one pissed out of my mind." Min Min chuckled through a mouthful of ramen noodles, trying to lighten the mood despite it not doing much of anything.

Ribbon and Spring both gave Min an odd look, Springs more a tired glare than Ribbon Girl's confused expression.

"What? I was joking around."

Spring sighed as he pulled his head up and stood. "I appreciate the help, you two... But I just cant do it..."

"Well just know you can talk to us if you need to, ok Spring?" Ribbon smiled up to him.

Min Min simply pointed to Ribbon Girl and gave him the 'What she said' expression, despite it being half-assed.

He nodded to them, trying to smile, but it was so obviously forced it was almost scary.

And as he walked away from them both, he said something that caused them both to give each other the same questionable look.

"... Even if he does like guys... Why would he like someone as pathetic as me...?"

\-----

Ninjara paced back and forth within one of the lounges set up for fighters that were out of spars and wanted to relax, debating with himself as his mind quarreled with one thought that kept going on and on. It kept echoing in his skull and reverberated until it simple reflected back into his thoughts. _Am I interested in him, or is it some dumb phase?_

"Friend?"

He felt his heart nearly jump out of his chest as he whipped around and got into a defensive pose, calming down when he realized.... It was just the curly haired leather armed Misango and his glowing spirit friend, adopting its yellow hue today when outside of combat. Ninjara sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"... Sorry 'sango... When you dont make a noise before speaking I dont know if its someone breaking in or not..."

Misango smiled to the ninja in front of him. "Ok." He approached after speaking, looking Ninjara over with a confused concerned face. "... Friend ok?"

"... No Misango... 'Friend' isn't ok..." He tried to speak to the other man in a way he could understand. Misango was still learning English, and it was relatively broken when he did attempt to speak. However, he was making the effort to learn even if it was a bit difficult.

Ninjara and Misango sat on the couch beside each other, going silent for a good moment. The only sounds were the people walking about outside, and the jingling sound the spirit made as it flew around the both of them, trying to lighten up the mood.

Misango was the first to break the silence after having his little friend sit in his lap as he pet it. "Bad time...?"

"... You could say that... Im mostly thinking about something thats been on my mind for a couple weeks now..."

"Bad thought? Misango help?"

"You can try if you want..." Ninjara shrugged as he fiddled with his metallic thumbs. "Its... About who I am as a person..."

"No self hurt?!" Misango appeared to tense up. Ninjara jumped and grabbed the mans shoulders to calm him down.

"No no no no no no! Not that! It isn't weather I wanna stay alive or not! Its more about personal stuff." Once he saw Misango calm down, Ninjara felt a sigh of relief escape his lips as he settled back into the couch and looked away. "Its... About my sexuality."

"... Sexyu.... Alettee?"

"Basically an orientation with what kind of people you can like. Some people like guys, some people like girls, some like both, some like neither." He felt it was the most reasonable definition to help Misango, but it was clear he didnt understand still. Guess it would take some more explaining than that.

But before Ninjara could explain his case, he looked up, and heard that now all to familiar French voice.

"I thought I'd find one of you here."

Ninjara stood up. "Sorry Twintelle. Misango just simply found me in here..."

"Friend help." Misango stood up, holding his spirit buddy as he pointed to Ninjara, almost flicking the guy in the nose on accident. "Bad thoughts. Misango wanna help!"

Twintelle walked in and looked at Ninjara. "It better not be what I think it is..."

"It isn't suicidal thoughts or anything, Twintelle. Misango thought it was like that as well. Its simply...." He trailed off as he tried to find the right wording.

"About Sexchualuteee." Misango tried to say the word again, but still got it slightly inaccurate.

Twintelle, nevertheless, got the point. "What about your sexuality?"

"... Im wondering if there's something wrong with it cause for the past couple of weeks... Cause part of me still appears normal, but then I get that other side of me that... It appears to want something from men... And I dont know whats going on..."

Misango didnt know what to say, unsure what Ninjara was saying. Twintelle thought it over, then smiled when it clicked. "Ninjara... I believe this means your orientation is in the middle."

"What do you mean by that?"

"What Im saying Ninjara is that your bisexual."

Ninjara felt his face heat up from absolute confusion, his pale face getting even redder when Twintelle laughed at his reaction. "Huh?!"

"I guess my point stands." Twintelle smiled as she calmed herself, surprised she got such a genuine expression out of Ninjara. "What Im trying to say is you still have that side of you that appears normal, but there's a new one that has a liking towards men."

"But why am I suddenly like this? I've never had to question my sexuality like this before, and it shouldn't be any different now."

Twintelle nodded for Misango to start walking to the door. It was clear Ninjara needed a moment to think to himself. "For now, Monsieur, dwell on the thought. If you feel its true, then its true. If not, then thats your choice. Its simply a suggestion."

And in a matter of seconds, Ninjara was once again alone, slumping into the couch and rubbing his face irritably.

"I can't be bisexual... I've been straight all my life... But... Why can't I stop thinking about that damned nightmare with him...? Why am I letting him talking in it get to me...?"

And over the course of a couple of hours, Ninjara just sat there, going over possible alternatives. However, as his options got more and more dwindled, he finally took a moment to sit up, pull out his phone, and stared at a photo of Springman that had been posted. And thats when it finally hit.

"... Shit... I think Im actually fucking bisexual..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ninjara having a midlife crisis made me laugh for some unholy reason, my god XD
> 
> Anyways, sorry for the long pause there. Hopefully now that I have some juice back, I can finish this. & Im not done with this story, but Im already getting ideas for a sequel for this story! ^^
> 
> Anyways, see y'all in the next one


	7. Mistakes were Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ninjara and Spring are finally considering the assistance they're getting from friends to confess to the other
> 
> However, will Ninjara's method of 'help' turn into something he wouldnt be able to comprehend?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy this ones gonna hurt
> 
> Im sorry guys-

"Ribbon, this is ridiculous..."

"Oh come on, Spring! Its gonna be just fine!"

Spring grunted as he followed Ribbon Girl, with little choice anyways in the matter considering he had a grip on his wrist.

It was one of the days where the League had closed to allow the fighters to have a break, and while Springman wanted to spend this one resting in his apartment, Ribbon had other plans. In fact, she had called him earlier than he usually got up and wouldnt get off the phone with him until she arrived to pick him up. He didnt know what was this important, but he decided to just go with the flow. He was tired as hell as is, so he couldn't do much of anything.

"Can you _finally_ explain where were going, Ribbon? You've had me dragged down the sidewalk for the last 10 minutes..."

"Were almost there! Calm down!" Ribbon giggled happily as she skipped, continuing past the market side of town where some buildings got a bit low graded.

However, she turned a corner when they reached the end of the block, and soon enough they were in what appeared to be a forest like area. The trees were blowing about, and the leaves flew with the wind when plucked free from the twigs and branches. The grass was cleared aside for a simple dirt pathway that led through the area until it reached what was clearly a park for people wanting a breath of fresh air. It was a simple dirt circle with a few benches scattered around a fountain resting in the center, lily pads holding blossoming waterlilies. And up the path connecting to the circle was a gazebo looking over an ocean side with water splashing about the sides of the cliff the gazebo was nearby.

Spring looked at the scene with wide interested eyes, suddenly more awake and alert than ever. However, after taking in the scenery, he snapped back to reality and turned to Ribbon. "You didnt bring me here for what my mind is resorting to, did you?!"

"Yes and no. Just know this isn't me attempting to make an affair behind Cobras back."

Spring breathed a sigh of relief at that one, but then realized her answer. "... What do you mean by 'yes and no'?"

Ribbon giggled as she had Spring sit on the edge of the fountain, smiling. "Wanted to lend ya a hand! Y'know... In case you finally admit to Ninjara.~"

Spring felt his face warm up again. "What did I tell you about worrying about something like that?!"

She giggled, taking Spring's hands. "Im not worrying about it, Im trying to help you come out of your shell a bit! Its clear you have feelings for him, and you need a place peaceful enough to say as much!"

"... I could just tell him in one of the tree parks near his university?" He sounded more tired then before, and now outright bored. "Look... Ribbon... I appreciate the concern and precautions your taking to help me, but it just isn't going to happen... Ninjara isn't interested."

Ribbon sent the right side of her hip out dramatically as she crossed her arms, staring down at the sitting man in front of her. "And how do you know that?"

"Well... Hes had at least three ex _girlfriends_ in his life, not to mention he appears interested in having a normal relationship rather than one with another guy..."

"Just because he has exes doesnt mean much at all, Spring. At least think on this place if you finally wish to confess to him, ok?"

Spring sighed, and let Ribbon leave, saying he'd make it home on his own. He looked around the place by himself, then sighed. "Plus... Why would he be with someone who's lied to him all this time...?"

\-----

Ninjara looked over his papers, playing around with his second pair of glasses he only wore when out of combat, gray and glittering from the lamp light to his left. His black T-shirt shuffled as he moved his arms about, and when his blue colored green striped pants covered legs shuffled to adjust his seating, the fabric followed him as well. Sitting on his lap as he worked was Peaches, who was curled up into a little bread like ball, napping as her owner finished what he was doing.

"... Should be the last of it..." Ninjara set his pencil aside, looking over the page in front of him, sighing with relief when it backed up his words.

He gently lifted his pup off his lap and rested her in the seat as he gathered the scattered papers on his desk and packed them into his bag for what tomorrow could bring for school. He turned the lamp off as he walked to his bed and checked his phone for text messages. There weren't any to spare from most of the League members or pals he had managed to acquire for school, but when he got to his text box with Spring... He felt his heart sink.

_Why do I feel anxious when I check his and there's nothing?_ Ninjara stared at the text box confused. _This hasn't happened before..._

He jumped when his phone suddenly went off, and he noticed it was KC trying to video chat. He sighed, answering it and turning his phone so it was sideways. "Can you not fucking terrify me like that, little shit..?"

"Sssssorry. Thought you would have your ringtone turned off." KC responded as he was taking off a dirty violet colored hoodie, wearing a black tank top underneath. He was clearly ready for bed, as by that point it was rather late.

Ninjara sighed. "Well... I mean its better talk to someone that contacts me than contact others... I have a problem."

"Whatssss that?"

Ninjara sighed, composing himself before reiterating what Twintelle had told him a day earlier and how he had dwelled on the thought since that point. "I never imagined I would truly be bisexual, but its scary to think thats whats wrong..."

"... I dont sssssee what the problem isss with you being interessssted in both men and women, Ninjara."

"But I've never felt like this towards one guy before. I do want to come forward with it, but Im not sure..."

"Then perhapssss you need to practice with ssssomeone."

Ninjara thought on it. "... But who...?"

"Perhapssss ssssomeone with no current love experiencce? Might be easssier."

Ninjara thought on it, then nodded in understanding. "Very well... For now, you should probably get some rest."

KC and Ninjara exchanged farewells before Ninjara hung up and laid back in the bed. How was he going to find someone that could help him that had no romantic interest? Master Mummy couldn't speak English whatsoever - and teaching him did nothing - so he was not an option, Ribbon Girl and Cobra were together, it would feel awkward to practice with the mother of the League, or the father one for that matter...

_What am I gonna do...? I want to be sure I can even pull some shit like this off before making a move..._

But then Ninjara got an idea and pulled out his phone a moment. "... Just hope shes up this late..."

\-----

"Really?! Your gonna do it?!"

Spring sighed as he fiddled with the stem of a green rose in his hand. "Yeah... Im giving it a go."

A day had passed since Spring was taken to that spot with Ribbon, and he had mulled it over all night weather he should go for it or not. He finally decided before being whisked away by sleep he'd give it an attempt. Ribbon happily hugged him, KC standing nearby with a chuckle.

"Spring thats wonderful!"

"And your certain about thisss Ssspring?" KC tilted his head to the side a moment.

Spring looked up to the younger man with a shrug. "I mean... Its gonna be the only time where Im confident enough to do something like this. SO much as well take the chance while the kettle's piping hot, y'know?"

KC nodded in understanding, and although it wasn't visible due to his mask, Spring could sense a faint smile come from him. It brought a chuckle up from her throat.

"Where are you two meeting to talk? What about when you confess?" Ribbon seemed ready to ask so many questions all at once, that KC had to hug her to get her to calm down so Spring could answer.

Spring scratched his neck, still twirling the green rose in hand. "Well... I was thinking I start slow by simply giving him this ans asking him to meet me at that place you showed me Ribbon tomorrow night. Its probably not gonna spark that much... But Its worth the shot."

"Ssssounds like a sssound plan - for once." KC chuckled, surprised Spring had a path he'd follow, a rarity for the blue haired man. Spring chuckled with KC with an uncertain shrug.

Springman let KC and Ribbon head off to go prepare for spars, freezing in place when he felt a familiar metal hand grab his wrist. He quickly managed to hide the rose in the pockets of his hoodie, turning to face the green haired ninja. "H-hey Ninjara! Whats up?"

Ninjara looked up to him a moment, exhausted looking, but calm. "I wanted to talk today at some point."

"Huh. That's funny! I wanted to talk with ya as well!" Spring laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck as if to attempt and make himself look like he was shocked with coincidence. On the inside, he grew nervous. _Is this gonna ruin my plan..?_

"... Perhaps we could meet in the gym or something...?"

"Sure! Why not?"

_... He seems all too proud of himself today..._ Ninjara stared at Springs sudden boastful answers. He was used to the man being peppy and happy, but this sounded... A bit too on the nose. He shrugged after Spring agreed, then started walking away, heading for the gym himself. Spring meanwhile headed for the locker room to change.

\-----

"About time ya showed..."

Min Min sat on a bench in the gym as Ninjara walked in. He approached her with a sigh, watching the Ramen Bomber stand. "Sorry... Caught Spring and decided we'd meet here later..."

"Right right. Anyways, ya texted me this morning cause ya needed some help?"

"Yeah... Your the last resort I have Im afraid. I understand were not on good terms, but it feels wise to talk about this to someone who is both single and not expecting-"

Min Min interrupted by popping her knuckles. "Give me the long story short then, ninja."

Ninjara glared at her for calling him that. She never referred to him by name and it kinda bugged him. "I just need help practicing a confession, ok?"

"A confession for who? Cause if its me, no thanks."

"No!" Ninjara sounded stressed at this point. "I need _you_ to pretend to be _someone else_ and help _me_ practice confessing my attractions so I can tell _them_ without issue!!"

Min Min stared at him silently, wide eyed and blank faced. "... Ok, your usually this stressed when a test's coming up, and thats not an ok sign. But just know if I do this, you owe me."

"Alright alright. Whatever you want, Just help me, please...!"

"... Ok yeah you need help, your spazzing..." Min Min walked to the bench and sat back down. "Alright... What do you have so far for it?"

Ninjara sighed, walking over and sitting beside her. "So far, all I have is a park near the university where I can say it. I just know know what to say. One wrong move and the chance is just gone... Plus, I've never been this sure about my crushes before..."

Min Min sighed, looking over at Ninjara. "Well... What would you expect to end your confession with?"

"Is that not an obvious at this point?" Ninjara seemed so stressed he was tired, not hearing the sounds of footprints coming towards the gym.

"Maybe keep it blunt then?" Min Min was doing her best to be helpful, even taking his hand to comfort him and keep him from getting too tense right in front of her. She wasn't close friends with the dude, far from it in fact, but even she agreed the man becoming too stressed for his own good wasn't a good thing.

Ninjara took in a deep breath, then sighed. _Maybe it would be better if I said it bluntly..._

"... I love you..."

Min Min nodded, signaling that was his best bet, but froze when she suddenly heard a stifled gasp before turning to see someone rushing off.

Ninjara caught a glimpse of a familiar blue hand dropping a rose and vanishing, his eyes going wide as he yanked his hand away from Min Min.

_SHIT!!! HE HEARD THAT!!_

He quickly got up and dashed after him, grabbing the rose before moving further. _FUCK FUCK I'M SCREWED!! SHIT!!_

But before he could catch up to him, the darkness from the twilight hour, not assisted by the street lamps just yet since many could still see, had vanished.

Ninjara looked down to the rose in his hands, feeling his entire body sweat and his eyes begin to water. He squeezed the stem as he fell to his knees.

"... I fucked up... So much..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that was a ride
> 
> Also, to clear it up in case there's confusion, Ninjara said what he did to Min Min cause he wanted to practice a confession to Springman, but from Springs view, it seemed like he admitted his feelings to Min Min rather than used it as practice
> 
> But dont worry, things will get patched up soon
> 
> See ya in the next one


	8. Them and Their Broken Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spring is heart broken after seeing what he thought was Ninjara and Min Min getting together, and feels he has no other choice but to take his own measures to ensure Ninjara ends up happy in the end as the rage begins to consume him
> 
> Meanwhile, Ninjara feels ashamed and guilty for breaking Spring's heart as he starts to realize just how much the fighter cares about him as sadness overcomes his heart
> 
> But is there any chance for forgiveness once a dark sickly secret is resurrected?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise that the pain wont last long, guys! It'll smooth over after they realize the mistake
> 
> (Also, bonus points to those who see the reference in the title)

Spring couldn't even sit up once he got back to his home and threw himself onto his own couch. He kept his face buried in his arms, with one of his legs hung off the side and against the floor, while the other laid normally across the piece of furniture. His gray hoodie had been ripped off and thrown at the kitchen counter, where it simply hung over the side. Both of Springs shoes had been thrown on either side of his TV, leaving two pretty decent sized cracks, leaving the man in only his socks and shorts as he just cried.

He felt so heartbroken over what he had seen. One moment, he was ready to talk to Ninjara about having feelings once he got to ask the man out, and now he just felt like he had gone through the effort to gain confidence and finally go through with his plan only to find out the man he cared about had feelings for another.

_I feel so fucking played... I was so close to getting something right and now its gone to shit..._

He jumped in shock when his phone, resting on the coffee table beside him, started going off. He sighed as he weakly grabbed it to see what was going on - only to see concerned text messages from most of the league.

Twintelle asking where he had run off to... KC trying to ask him about how things went... Ribbon trying to talk to him... Even Helix and Master Mummy sent him concerned messages - even if they weren't that well typed considering Helix couldn't use a phone well and Master Mummy has giant fingers.

He sighed and went to set his phone aside when he suddenly saw another text pop up. When he looked at it, his heart sank to his crotch.

_Ninjara..._

He looked at the phone as he saw that message across the screen.

> _Springman, are you there?_
> 
> _Can you please respond to me?_
> 
> _Im trying to talk to you here, there was a mistake_

Spring growled at the messages, his expression growing more sour when Ninjara suddenly called him, tears starting to sting his eyes and face. _Hes trying to rub it in, isn't he..?_

He hung up on Ninjara as he tried calling, then finally, out of a blinded rage and hurt, he chucked his phone to the wall, hearing it shatter as it smashed against the wall beside the TV, making one of the cracks made by his shoes bigger, and almost created a hole in the process. He fell back into the couch, covering his face with his hands as he continued to cry.

This wasn't the first time Ninjara tried calling Springman that night. He had quite a few times. Spring only answered the first call he got when he first entered his apartment, but he was so stricken with anger and sadness that he just yelled at Ninjara for making a friendship seem so happy when it came crashing down. The words he screamed at Ninjara before he hung up still echoed in his head.

_"DON'T TALK TO ME EVER AGAIN!!!"_

"W-why does it hurt to think about those words...?" Spring spoke to himself, now holding his knees close to his body. He had never felt like this before - just constantly sad and wanting to be alone. He was usually the one at the league constantly smiling, joking around with the other fighters, and yet as he sat on his couch moping, he felt so broken.

He had been rejected by friends and crushes in the past, he knew he wasn't completely perfect in that regard, but something about what had occurred today hurt him more than any of those events ever had. But the question was... Why?

As he just sat there,thinking to himself as more tears fell, he remembered something that he heard in the past.

_Would that be the solution to everything...?_

\-----

Ninjara hid away in the dark corner of the now dimly lit lounge he had previously spoken to Twintelle and Misango in, shivering. The rose that he found on the floor sat beside him, and his hood was pulled up so his face wasn't visible. He turned the lights off and just simply hid there away from the others. He felt absolutely HORRIBLE with the thought he had quite possibly hurt someone he felt genuinely close to for the first time in a long time. And now that was all dirt - because he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings when he was practicing.

"... Ninjara?"

He jumped when he heard a soft voice. Without letting his head grow visible, he looked to the door to see who it was.

Standing there in the doorway were three people; Twintelle, Misango, and one of the other fighters. She stood there with normal arms, but still had her yellow goggles on over her purple eyes, bits of her face partially covered by shirt brunette hair. She was still wearing her signature yellow T-shirt and black pants, although a gray jacket she usually kept tired around her waist was now around her arms.

"... What do you guys want...?"

Twintelle was the first to step forward, arms crossed with a sigh. "Min Min explained to us what had happened... So we came to check on you."

"Are you ok? It sounded like something really bad happened." The brunette girl stepped in slightly after Twintelle, hands in her jacket pockets. She rarely cared for most of the fighters' issues - say for Ribbon Girl - simply because it wasn't in her power as a 15 year old to help. I mean... What could she do? All she had was supportive words.

Ninjara sighed as he looked away from them. "... I... I don't know anymore..."

"Mechanica, Misango, let me handle this, ok?" Twintelle looked back to the other two, watching them leave the two of them alone.

Twintelle walked over to Ninjara and sat beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Min Min explained the situation... Is what she said true?"

Ninjara twitched when Twintelle suddenly placed her hand on his shoulder, feeling too broken to speak - a feeling he was all too familiar with. And he hated it.

"Ninjara...?"

"It..... It d-depends on what she told you..."

"She said you were practicing a confession with her and Springman took it the wrong way."

_Spring..._ Ninjara felt his eyes water up more as he heard that name. Before, he was ok with it. Now it just felt like something coming from the dead to haunt him.

In response to Twintelle, instead of speaking, Ninjara simply nodded as a response. Twintelle frowned slightly from the lack of response and, although against her better judgement, she gently grabbed the mans hood and pulled it back, catching his attention and staring in honest shock when she saw the state he was in at this point.

It hadnt been that long, but it looked like he had been suffering for a good month or so already. His hair was tossed and out of its normal ninja star ponytail, his glasses were on the floor in front of his feet instead of on his face as it was coated in nothing but tears, his eyes were bloodshot from crying, and he just looked so.... Destroyed.

"... This is hurting you more than it should, isn't it?"

He nodded as he felt another tear fall when he blinked to get the watery glaze out of his vision. Ninjara was so used to having everything taken away from him, that reacting in this way felt... Unnatural. Everything being taken away had actually caused him to go completely emotionless and shut everyone out. He couldn't do that with Springman. And now that he was gone, and didn't want to be around him anymore...

"Perhaps going home and resting could help with the situation..?" Twintelle tried to comfort Ninjara as much as she could. However, she knew she couldn't do much considering the situation. Ninjara was hurting, and the best he could do was either rest or talk to the source.

"R-right..." Ninjara stood up after collecting his glasses and such, then headed out to his dorm once he said his goodbyes to Twintelle and thanked her for trying to help him.

Once he arrived, he went straight for his room and started on his homework, unable to concentrate as he felt his eyes water up more and more as he continued writing. What had he done...? Was there even a way to fix his relationship with the fighter now?

Peaches soon jumped up on the bed and laid beside Ninjara under his arm so she could get head scratches, which Ninjara gave her considering she was under his non dominant hand. He could still do homework and pet his dog.

However, his mind kept wandering a dangerous path as he got closer and closer to finishing his homework. Although he tried to rule these thoughts out, they kept coming back, more powerful than ever. Finally, he set his items down and tried, one more time, to call Spring. When he simply got his voicemail, he sighed.

"Maybe I should pay him a visit..."

\-----

It felt like hours to arrive at the mans apartment, but in reality, Ninjara had to go on a 20-25 minute walk just to reach the place. It was weird that it felt like it took longer than it did, but at the same time, Ninjara's heart just felt... Lonely. He was usually used to the feeling, but it felt stronger and more pressured this time. Before, he would ask why that was, but this time... He knew EXACTLY what the reason behind it was.

After walking into the main lobby, he got into the elevator and started to go up, feeling as if he was in a familiar spot... Just missing the man beside him joking about calling him by his real name. And as he went up, it felt like time slowed. He just wanted to hear the mans voice... Hear him laugh... See him just standing there and joking without issues... He wanted to pull him into a hug and stay in the elevator to just have a shushed moment... Just the two of them...

Ninjara was pulled from his thoughts when the elevator dinged and the doors opened, letting him out onto Spring's floor. He sighed and walked out, walking up to the mans door and stopping before he knocked. He knew Spring didnt want him to even consider talking after what had happened, but Ninjara knew off the bat that he had to make the effort - or it would be a fight that had no end.

He finally knocked on the door and called out. "Springman? You in there?"

Nothing...

He knocked again. "Come on, Spring! I wanna talk!"

Spring was looking through his fridge weakly, fully aware Ninjara was practically bashing his door in to speak. _He didnt listen... Did he...?_

The blue haired man sighed angrily, squeezing a can of soda in his hands and ignoring the building fizz that could very well explode and send the drink flying. Guess he had to stop the man himself. He loosened his grip on the soda and put it back, moving his hand to the back of the fridge, where he pulled out a bottle that was half full of the very drink he was told never to touch again or it would be his funeral. He slammed the fridge shut and looked to the door.

"What..?!"

He didnt want to talk to Ninjara, believing the man was coming to REALLY rub his face in the fact he found his 'forever partner' and Spring himself couldn't find his, but if it meant making him leave he was willing to do that.

"Spring, come on! I just wanna talk about what happened!"

_He isn't leaving until he gets his word in..._ Spring approached the door, holding the drink in his hand. He stared at it as his hand rested on the knob, finally growling to himself as Ninjara pounded his fist against the door again. He finally just twisted the knob and opened the door, shoving Ninjara back so he crashed into the wall.

Ninjara jumped with wide eyes as he felt his back make contact with the wall behind him. He didnt expect that response, despite assuming Spring would be either upset or pissed off.

"Alright. What do you FUCKING want?!"

Ninjara pushed himself off and dusted himself off. "Jacob, I just wanna-"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!!!"

"You said I could before! Why cant I now?!"

Springman snarled at Ninjara before stepping back into his apartment, going to slam the door shut. However, Ninjara caught it with his foot and stepped in after him. "Look, Spring, I wanted to talk about what happened. It wasn't what it looked like."

"Yeah SURE it was! And vampires exist too, dont they?!"

"Your not getting the picture,Spring, just LISTEN to me!"

Spring whipped around angrily, holding the half empty bottle of alcohol tightly in his fist. "WHY SHOULD I?!"

".. WHY DO YOU HAVE A BOTTLE OF ALCOHOL?!" Ninjara finally took notice when it took him a second to figure out what was making a splashing clanging noise, then looked to something in Spring's hand.

"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR CONCERN!"

Ninjara started to approach him angrily. "SPRINGMAN, YOUR 20 YEARS OLD! YOU SHOULDN'T BE DRINKING THIS SHIT!!"

" **YOU DIDN'T MIND WHEN WE GOT DRUNK ALMOST FOUR WEEKS AGO NOW!!!** "

Ninjara froze when he heard Springman's words. And it didnt take the other fighter long to realize he slipped on something he vowed to never speak of again.

"... You said it was just a simple hangout I passed out on..."

"J-just... Get out of my apartment.." Springman turned away, shivering.

"Wouldn't it be more comfortable t-"

" **I SAID GET OUT!!!** " Spring viciously punched Ninjara in the face, his arm unhinging to do so all of a sudden, sending Ninjara sprawled out onto the floor between Springs apartment and the hallway.

Ninjara stared back in shock at Springman, then ran for the elevator as the taller man went to punch him again. The last noise Ninjara heard in that apartment was the slamming of the door to the point where the hinges sounded ready to bust at any second.

Springman looked away from the door, clutching the bottle in his hand as he started crying. He felt so hurt over what he had seen, but....

Was Ninjara trying to tell a different story?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp Im ready to die over people upset on that one XD
> 
> It should just be a bit of next chapter then a tiny portion of the chapter after that and the pain comes to an end!
> 
> THATS A PROMISE!!! ^^


	9. Taking Initiative

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guilt has begun to settle in tightly, and Spring starts to feel he hurt Ninjara t the point of hitting the avoid button
> 
> Ninjara meanwhile has begun to blame himself for everything even if he refuses to admit it.
> 
> But what if one incident finally brings the two men back together... Even if they arent physically?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare yourselves folks
> 
> Your gonna be scared by the end
> 
> (I mean I doubt it but doesnt hurt to put a disclaimer)

"He WHAT?!"

"M-Min Min... Calm down..." Ninjara groaned as he rubbed an ice pack over where he had gotten socked, sitting on a stool near the counter Min Min was standing behind.

After the fight at the apartment, Ninjara had retreated to the ramen shop Min Min and her family worked at to talk to someone who knew what was going on. He was lucky it was still open and, despite them not being full friends, he was a decent bud with Min.

"I'll be fine..." He tried to reassure the Ramen Bomber. "Its just a bruise... It'll heal..."

Min Min sighed. "It'll heal, yeah, but its clear somethings SERIOUSLY wrong with Springman. He didnt even _entertain_ hearing you out about what happened! That's just outright bitch attitude!"

Ninjara rested his head on the counter. "... Well... How would you have reacted if that happened to you...?"

"I wouldnt leave until they had a firm talking to, duh!"

Realizing asking Min Min the question was pointless, mostly because of her fiery personality, he just sighed. "... Maybe some midnight ramen would cheer me up... You mind, Min Min?.."

Min Min nodded and turned around, starting to prepare a bowl of ramen for Ninjara to eat. A part of her wanted to leave the situation alone to solve itself, but she didnt mind lending a hand. Or... A bowl of ramen.

\-----

Ribbon had a hand on Springman's shoulder as she watched him begin to shiver uncontrollably. "Spring... Calm down, please..."

Spring gripped his face tightly, in tears after what had happened earlier in the night. He couldn't say a word without coughing from crying so hard.

He felt so guilty once it was all over, but he couldn't do a damned thing now. Ninjara probably hated him even more than he did before after what he did. He couldn't even stay in his apartment and had to travel over to Ribbon Girls place to keep himself from being alone. When he arrived, she was also joined by KC, since he was staying there for now, as well as Twintelle, who came over after hearing what had happened from Ribbon calling her.

"I hate to be that guy.... But Ssspring, what you did wasss a rather jerk move...." KC crossed his arms as he spoke up.

Ribbon looked over, a look of shock on her face. "Cobra!!"

KC shrugged. "Am I wrong, Ribbon..?"

Twintelle approached the group, one ponytail gently patting KC on the shoulder while she got down on her knees. "Spring... You can talk to us... What happened?"

He didnt respond.

"Probably hurt him that bad." Ribbon thought aloud. "According to him in the text, he did something really bad he regrets, and he can't stop crying because of it."

"... Let me have a word with him. I may know whats wrong.." Twintelle helped Spring to stand up, letting Ribbon and Cobra get a breath of fresh air as she brought Springman outside to the fresh air. She sat down beside him on the porch and pat his back with her hand.

"Let me guess... It came out?"

"How did you...?"

"I could tell by the way you were crying. Not to mention a mothers intuition always knows what to do, even if I've never truly had children myself."

Spring stared up at her, eyes puffy and red from crying. His cheeks were also soaking wet and his arms wouldnt stop shaking. It was clear something had to be done to help, or this would be how it ended. Although a part of him was still mad at the betrayal he felt seeing Ninjara confess to Min Min, it was simply a faint screaming voice in the back of his mind now. It had been replaced for the guilt he began to feel for hitting Ninjara, screaming at him, and basically making the man know he never wanted to see him again.

After a moment of silence, he looked down to his red shoes. "Twintelle.... I dont know what to do now....."

She pat his back, rubbing her thumb up and down his spine to calm him down. "You were simply blinded in the moment. If Ninjara really feels the same for you, he'd understand... Even if he ran away..."

"... You sure...?" Spring spoke through faint gasps for breath and sobs. "He seemed pretty upset when I saw him run out..."

The silver screen queen sighed, pulling Springman into a hug, making sure he didnt get a head full of breasts. "Springman... I say try talking to him... Thats your best option at this point... Actions speak louder than words, but it takes words to act..."

"... Alright..... But for now... I'll leave him alone..... Hes probably still mad...."

"That's the spirit, Springman..." Twintelle smiled down to him. "And a rather good idea too... The wounds fresh, so lets let it die down before moving further...."

Twintelle and Springman stayed in the hug a bit longer before heading back inside. After all, Springman was getting kinda hungry.

\-----

A full week finally rolled by since the fight had broken out between the two fighters, but it still felt like the guilt was heavy on both of their backs.

Ninjara had begun to focus on his studies more as a way to stop his stress from overstimulating in his mind. However, he never stopped trying to talk to Springman. The issue was the man himself kept avoiding him. It confused him to great lengths. Its been a week now, why was he still avoiding him? Sadly though, he couldn't do a thing about it and would just recluse back to what he was doing beforehand. He was beginning to avert back to the person he was before he and Springman had attempted to become friends - a quiet man who only focuses on his college work.

Springman's guilt for hurting Ninjara was still heavy on his mind and conscience, and he felt he couldn't properly speak to the student of stealth without being screamed at or slapped across the face. Any time he saw Ninjara, he kept to himself and walked off in case the guilt turned to anger and it happened again. But when he would see the ninja start to approach him, he would back away in shock and fear and sprint to get as far away from the man as possible. After all, why would someone you hit be ok with speaking to you? They wouldnt...

Once the day finally came to an end, Spring stood in the locker room, organizing through his things as he suddenly felt sick. He sighed, and looked up when he saw a familiar cheerleader outfit looking friend of his. Ribbon Girl had been his go to when talking about the situation considering he didnt want to bug the others.

"You doing ok, Spring?" Ribbon tilted her head to the side.

He sighed, smiling very weakly up to her. "Yeah..."

Ribbon walked over to him, sitting down and looking him over a moment before giving him a look of worry. "Spring... You haven't been eating since the night you came to my house... Have you...?"

"Wait what?" Spring felt his forehead begin to break out in sweat. He had eaten since then, just very little. "I've eaten."

"From the looks of it, you haven't eaten in awhile... You look like you lost some weight..."

"Well... I've mostly restricted myself to something like salads and such..."

Hearing that sentence made Ribbon suddenly go wide eyed and feel sick to her stomach as she watched her best friend scratch the back of his neck as he sat there on the bench. This wasn't like Springman at all!

Springman took notice and sighed. "Ribbon... I just dont feel like eating anything at all... But Im trying to at least give myself something even if it isn't pizza... I've tried to eat it a couple days ago, but I could only eat half of one before I suddenly felt ill..."

"... Springman, I think I know whats wrong." Ribbon moved herself so she sat right beside her best friend, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Your love sick..."

He looked away. "... Love sick about what though...?"

"Ever since Ninjara confessed to Min Min you haven't been yourself. You've refused to talk to people, you haven't been eating the stuff you normally do, You dont smile anymore, and you've rarely answer your phone after you got it fixed..." Ribbon let her voice go soft, trying to comfort her childhood bestie. It hurt to see him so destroyed. It had in the past, and that never changed.

Spring said nothing as he checked his phone a moment. Ribbon was right... He did feel love sick for Ninjara. He wanted to pull him into his arms, hear the man ramble on and on about how annoying he could get just to hear his voice... But he refused to admit that fact. _After all... Why would he forgive someone that outright punched him...?_ "... I dont want to be a bother though..."

"Your not a bother at all..! Were all concerned about you and your health..!"

And before he could speak, he was yanked into a forceful hug from Ribbon Girl. Spring sighed and hugged her in return.

"I'll try to fix myself... But for now, I want you to stay with KC and dont get into trouble... Ok?" He tilted her head up towards him with his thumb, close enough so he could speak softly to his friend, but not close enough to where if anyone walked in it looked like he was trying to kiss her or anything.

Ribbon nodded. "Ok... Just be careful..."

"I will..." He looked down to her, pulling her into a sibling like embrace, head resting on top of Ribbons as he wrapped his arms around her.

"... I promise..."

After that conversation, Springman had begun to walk home, wearing his casual gray hoodie, blue shorts, white socks, and red shoes. He had the hoodie pulled up and his hands in his pockets as it began to sprinkle lightly.

Every time he had walked this path home, it just hurt him. It reminded him of walks he would have with Ninjara. On days where he agreed to help the Student of Stealth back to his dorm. It even reminded him of the day they hung out and got drunk. Even though that last thought hurt to think about, especially considering Ninjara now knew the truth about it, he began to realize how close they got in that moment. Yeah it was under some horrible circumstances, but it was still a moment to enjoy.

_I just wish I could've been a better friend to him... Maybe I just dont deserve a happy ending..._

However, Spring was pulled form his thoughts when he heard the sudden sound of crying. It sounded like a young child lost in the city. With a sigh, Spring began to sprint for the crying. It looked like the rain would pick up soon, so it would be best to hurry up and help the kid get back to their parents.

When he arrived though, he found himself looking through a deep closed off alleyway. It made him feel closed in and nervous. However, he had a mission and he wasn't backing down just yet.

"Hello?" He looked around, reaching a spot where the alley turned to the right and stopped at a dumpster.

He turned the corner and looked as he saw what looked to be a tape player starting to short circuit from the rain. He picked it up and realized that was the source of the crying. He was too focused on the device that he didnt realize a shadow began to loom over him.

"What the fuck...?"

And just as he went to set the device down and noticed someone was standing behind him, it was too late. A hand reached out and clamped over his eyes as he suddenly got a large sweet scent filling his nose and mouth. He couldn't see, and it suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. When he began to process a way to finally get out, his body suddenly fell limp and he felt his eyes flutter shut. The last thing he heard was what sounded like a females voice laughing at his body slipping out of consciousness.

But little did either know,someone was running at top speed away from the scene...

\-----

Ninjara finished packing his bag in the lounge with a sigh. Today had been a long day and he was ready to go back to his dorm and lie down with Peaches to calm the stress.

He had to start packing up his supplies and changing out of his fighter gear here in an effort to give Springman some space. As he put some notebooks in the bag though, he started to dwell down the memories they started to develop and had been cut short. Things were going so well... And his heart felt so full around him... But now there was no way to fix it, and it was all his fault... All he wanted to do was confess to Spring with help, and it backfired...

"... Why am I so fucking horrible with this kind of shit...?"

"I dont know. Why dont you explain it to me?"

Ninjara jumped in his place a bit, turning to the door to see the Airess standing there, ribbon ARMS crossed, leaning against the door frame. The ninja realized at this point he was in major trouble. Ribbon was, after all, Springman's best friend from their childhood.

He sighed. "What do you need Rib-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Ribbon walked over and slapped him violently across the face, leaving a stinging mark on his left cheek. "OW!! SON OF A BITCH!!" He grabbed it with a hiss. That's gonna sting for a good week or so.

Ribbon glared at him. "That's what you get for hurting my best friend the way you did!!"

"Ribbon what do you mean by that?!"

She grabbed him by the lifted collar of his hoodie, fist clenched near where the zipper would bend into the actual outfit. "You made him so fucking upset that he basically stopped taking care of himself!!!"

Ninjara looked at Ribbon wide eyed. "WAIT WHAT?!"

"DON'T ACT LIKE YOU DIDN'T KNOW!!!" Her fists clenched even more, her knuckles starting to go white. "THIS WAS THE OUTCOME YOU WANTED, WASN'T IT?!"

"Ribbon your not giving me a chance to explain!!!" He lifted his arms up defensively, one grabbing onto Ribbons wrist to try and get her to stop. The back of the hoodie was starting to press against the back of his neck and choke him. "You haven't heard the whole story, just let me talk!!"

"WHY SHOULD I?!?!" Her eyes darted at Ninjara, wild with anger. This was NOT like her to get this pissed, and it actually scared the Student of Stealth. He couldn't get a word in without it angering her more.

"Ribbon, STOP!"

Ribbon Girl turned around with a huff as she saw Min Min step in, already changed out of her fighting gear. KC was right behind her, seeing Min start searching for them both - only to find one of them being interrogated unjustly.

Min Min approached the two, putting a hand on Ribbon's shoulder. "Ribbon, let him talk... I can back up everything, ok..?"

_Ribbons pissed off and Min Mins talking so sadly... I know this is serious, but its weird to see them swapped like this..._ Ninjara thought to himself as he kept trying to pry Ribbons fist away from where it was.

Ninjara, KC, Min Min, and Ribbon sat down with one another to talk over the issue. Ninjara stated his side of the story, with Min Min beside him confirming everything he said. He was trying his hardest to do it without randomly bursting into tears. This hurt him more than it should've, and it sucked.

"... After that, I heard Springman run off..." He finished speaking, gripping his sleeves. "... I never wanted to hurt him... I never wanted to make him cry or start starving himself... It was just practice taken the wrong way..."

Min Min nodded, patting Ninjaras shoulder. "Its the truth. He came to me to practice a confession and Spring walked in after I asked him to confess in a blunt manner."

Ribbon stared at them confused. "... So this is all being blown out of proportion?"

"N-no..." Ninjara choked on his response. "I understand his reaction... I m-mean... How would you or KC react if that happened...?"

Cobra thought on it a moment, then nodded. "I ssssee your point... If that happened before me and Ribbon got together, that would sssting..."

Ninjara nodded, looking away as he felt his eyes start to sting. Being reminded that Springs sudden downward spiral was his fault only made it worse on his psyche. He felt ready to just burst into tears at any moment.

However, that moment wasnt now

"N-NINJARA!!!"

"The fuck..?" Ninjara looked to the door when he heard a young voice scream from the main lobby.

He stood up and ran out after grabbing his bag, going to investigate what the problem was. When he finally found the source of the yelling, he saw Mechanica on her knees, brunette hair tousled around, arms sweating, and she sounded like she was in tears. _That isn't good..._

Ninjara rushed forward to help her sit up more as the others saw the scene and rushed to do the same thing. After calming Mechanica down enough so she could speak, Ninjara decided to ask. "Mechanica, what happened..?!"

"I-ITS SPRING...! SOMEONE JUMPED HIM AND HE GOT KIDNAPPED...!"

And that wasn't what Ninjara wanted to hear at all. His eyes went wide as he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. However, the thoughts were instantly overtaken by the desire to do one thing and one alone.

He looked back to the others, a sudden growing determination burning away in his deep ruby red eyes. "Ribbon, Min, stay here with Mechanica to calm her down. Cobra, I'll need your help."

Cobra nodded in understanding, rushing out of the league doors with Ninjara as Ribbon and Min Min stayed back to comfort Mechanica, Ribbon secretly calling for help once the boys left.

"Ssso what are we doing exactly?!" Cobra looked ahead to Ninjara as he saw him put his hood up. Wasn't he being Mr Mopey Pants a moment ago?

Ninjara looked back to Cobra, some tears still leaking out of his eyes. He lost Springman once at his hand, he wasn't going to lose him again at the hand of someone else. Either way, Ninjara had to try and talk to Springman about the situation, or else it could cost everything. When Ninjara was with him, for once in his life, he didnt feel lonely or sad. Even if they just spoke for a moment or fought in spars, he still felt like he could smile for once rather than frown and grumble in the corner. Springman was the man that brought him out of his shell, and he wasn't going to lose that happiness if it meant his life.

"Were going to save Springman, no questions asked."

_Don't worry Spring..... Im coming to save you..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, this was hard to do considering Writers Block as well as moments where thinking about what to type made me cry
> 
> But I promised the sadness train would cease soon, next chapter should be it. Hang in there folks!
> 
> Ninjara to the rescue!


	10. When Two Become One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spring ends up waking in a scenario he doesnt want to be apart of
> 
> But what goes down when everything's said and accomplished and he can finally talk to Ninjara about the situations that had unfolded?
> 
> Will he get roundhouse kicked for lying, or romantically kissed for being who he is?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HaahAAAH! See what I did there? XD
> 
> Anyways, this should be the last main chapter before a small epilogue telling everything that happens, and then the sequel should be kicked off post haste
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy some of whats in store!
> 
> Also, not to be that person, but you MIGHT wanna grab tissues just in case, ok? ;3

It felt like days since he could feel anything. In reality, its only been a couple since he was brought to wherever he was.

And he was just now waking up.

Springman groaned out of desperation as he finally opened his eyes. Part of his usually coiled up blue hair was now flailing around out of place like a tumbleweed, and some of it was in his face. His entire body felt so numb and cold it almost felt as if he were paralyzed. Not to mention his head was swimming around as that lingering scent that knocked him out was still around.

_Where am I...I_

He tried to sit up as best as he could, but felt his arms barely able to move and he began to choke on something. When he looked to see what kept him pinned, his eyes blew up wide as he noticed he was chained to the wall and he could see what was clearly a rope around his wrists. He was tied down and pinned to a cold concrete wall.

His eyes then diverted downward as he realized he was now shirtless and covered in what was clearly red lipstick. The only clothes he had on were his sneakers, socks, and his blue shorts. And across the way he could see his hoodie sprawled out on the floor as if it was ripped off of him and just thrown aside.

And as the man went to speak, he felt choked back by something his teeth bit down on. Pressing his tongue against it, he realized it was some sort of gag keeping him from talking or screaming for help. Whoever had him here knew how to keep him still and quiet, that was for sure.

But that wasn't what was on the mans mind anymore- it was now the urge to get out of here. Wherever here was.

He pushed himself up enough to assess his surroundings. Boxes, metal walls, window roof - where it kept the night sky coated with little stars from entering in and only giving the moonlight entry, and there appeared to be no way out of this place. Then again, it also looked like a window was right above his head, as he saw lines of light leaking onto the concrete floor. _Guess the windows covered..._ ran through his mind.

Spring then began to try and push out the gag in his mouth, deciding to make that his first bet. If he could get help here and fast, then he could get help to get out of here. But it appeared the gag wouldnt budge, even if he tried really hard. He decided to try and break his wrists free, but that didnt appear to yield results either - especially considering they were behind his back, making movement a lot harder.

As he attempted to rip his neck free from the wall, though, he heard what sounded like heels starting to walk towards him, signaling whoever had him here was coming to see if he was awake. He turned to face them with a growl, but felt his eyes widen when he saw that familiar curly hair he saw the day he felt closer to the man on his mind.

"Ah, your finally awake, dear..~"

Spring tried to speak out to her, completely forgetting he was gagged. All he could do was glare instead. _What does this bitch want...?_

Maybelle giggled slyly as she bent down and lifted the mans head up by the chin. "Glad to see your wide awake and alert, dear. How was your nap?~"

The only response she got was a dark and angry growl, causing her to giggle. She sat down in front of him on her knees, getting super close to his face. "Oh come on now... There's no need to be rude...~"

Spring swung his head around away from her hand, trying to force the gag out again. Maybelle giggled and grabbed the ball in the mans mouth.

"If you dont scream for help, I'll let the little puppy speak..~"

_Do I even have a choice, whore?_ Spring glared back up at Maybelle again, feeling the ball being pulled out and hit his bare chest. Once he could finally move his mouth, he started to cough and rework his jaw, twitching and shivering.

Once he was done, he looked up at her and hissed. "The fuck do you want...?"

"Oh come on now! Shouldn't that be obvious?~" She giggled to herself, eyes dancing devilishly.

"If its to out Ninjara, Im not gonna allow you to do that, you sick son of a-" And before he could finish, he felt Maybelle backhand him, causing him to not only yelp in pain, but also bite his tongue, causing it to start bleeding. He caught his breath as he clenched his teeth. He didnt have time to worry about his suddenly in pain tongue before he felt a nail trail up his abs, causing a jolt of shock to go through his body he couldn't stop because his hands were behind his back.

"Actually, its another reason entirely...~" Maybelle smugly spoke, leaning in so her mouth was right beside the mans ear. "Thought you were kinda cute last we met... So I wanted to see for myself...~"

Spring threw his body aside to get Maybelle's hand off of him, glaring at her darkly as she started to straddle him.

"Perhaps you could teach a girl how to have one hell of a good t-GHCK!!!"

This time, Spring refused to let her finish. He spat in her mouth, a mixture of saliva and blood causing Maybelle to start gagging and coughing violently as she choked on it. While she was distracted, Spring managed to pull his body so far forward that the chain connected to the wall suddenly ripped free after quite a few violent tugs. He stood up and started to sprint for his clothes - only to be grabbed by the ankles and brought down to the floor.

Maybelle growled at him angrily for trying to run, forcing the man to flip over and stay trapped underneath her as she sat on his midsection, preventing the man from being able to get her off.

"GET OFF OF ME!!" He screamed at her, watching as she shoved the gag back into his mouth and started to pull his shorts off, considering he still couldn't rip his wrists free from whatever bound them together. His forehead began to sweat and he felt like he couldn't do a single thing about it. His hands were still cuffed and he couldn't scream anymore. Was this how he was being punished for doing what he did? For hurting someone he held close...? Being raped by his ex with no way out and no way to call for help......?

He saw her prepare to go for it, and slammed his eyes shut. _This really **is** my punishment... There'_ _s no way Im'-_

" **GET OFF OF HIM!!!** "

Springman was cut from his thoughts instantly when a voice rang out. When he opened his eyes, he saw a shadow launch above him and shove Maybelle off. He rolled onto his stomach so he could try to get the gag out himself since his arms were now in front of him and he could use his hands. However, it didnt appear to budge.

However, within an instant, a gentle hand undid the clip that kept it around his face and let it fall to the floor. Spring started to cough again as he re-reworked his jaw so it wasn't sore out of its mind.

And when he finally looked up at who saved him, his eyes widened and he felt them begin to tear up when it clicked who it was.

Ninjara was standing there, in what looked to be a black ninjas jumpsuit, hair pulled back into a man-bun as he glared down Maybelle.

_He... He came to save me...? ... But why...?_

"You ok, Ssspring?!" Springman turned his head behind him to see Cobra rushing over to help get his hands untied and the chain off his neck. Once they were off, the snake tossed the man his clothes and shoes to put on.

"Didn't expect a visit from you, Riki~" Maybelle smiled slyly at him.

Ninjara simply glared in return, Spring flinching at the sound of the snarl in the ninjas voice. "I told you not to call me that... For the final fucking time..."

"Ssspring, come on!!" Cobra yanked at his arm, wanting to rush for the exit and hopefully call the police.

Springman turned to him with an exasperated looking nod, pulling his hoodie on as he ran with one of his fellow fighters. However, Cobra would be the only one to make it around the corner and to the exit to this place. Maybelle noticed them leaving, and rushed at Spring with... Pretty exceptional speed for a woman still wearing her heels, tackling him down in an instant and twisting the mans arm behind his back, causing him to wince and grunt in pain.

Ninjara went to run closer to help him out, but stopped when he got almost two feet away from them as he saw Maybelle go to snap it back further.

"If you know whats best, Riki dear, then you should stay right where you are..~" Maybelle smirked as she glared back at the ninja.

Ninjara didnt move an inch, simply glaring at the scene in front of him. His ex on top of the man he had hurt in more ways than one. He knew Maybelle was stronger than she let on, but he knew she had one weakness that could get her to at least give him time to get Springman out of the situation.

"If you know whats good for me Maybelle, then why dont you tell me?"

The curly haired woman paused, then let go of Springman's arm and stood up, starting to walk towards the ninja. "Or how about I show you instead..?~"

"As much as I'd like that..."

He suddenly vanished from view, appearing behind Maybelle and in front of Springman.

"... I'd rather you didnt."

He picked up Springman with one movement of his own arms, holding him bridal style somehow, and sprinted for the exit. Maybelle screamed at them and began to chase after them. Ninjara managed to hold onto Springman for a decent time, but before he knew it, he felt a violent sting in his back that caused him to launch Springman across the way.

Spring screamed in pain as his head slammed against the concrete along with his body, coughing up blood when his body finally settled. He looked up weakly as Ninjara laid on the ground across from him, knocked out and bleeding as well. The last thing he could see as his vision began to fade was Maybenne stomping towards them with a pistol in hand, hearing the faint sounds of sirens as his eyes closed with Kid Cobra coming out and wrestling Maybelle for the gun.

After that, both fighters fell into complete darkness, unable to see, feel, hear, or do anything.

All they could see was black...

\-----

"Hes waking up..!"

"Mechanica, be quiet. Your gonna startle him."

Ninjara groaned as eyes eyes adjusted to a sudden bright light above his head. He blinked a couple of times before finally waking up completely. His body ached and still felt like it was soaking wet from his own blood. The last thing he felt before waking up was a striking pain right beside his heart and then concrete. When his vision completely altered to allow him to see the surroundings, he realized where he was - the hospital. And to the right of his bed was Min Min trying to get Mechanica to quiet down in her chair.

"Mech...? Min...? What happened...?" Ninjara sat up against the pillow behind his head, his chain arms against the blankets. When he looked down, he noticed bandages around the middle of his abdomen.

Min Min looked over and approached the bed. "Cobra explained what he could. Apparently a crazy ass bitch shot you in the chest while you were trying to rescue Springman."

"Min Min! Im right here!" Mechanica whined at the fact the fiery Ramen Bomber was swearing, forgetting it was the girls natural instinct to do so.

However, that wasn't at the top of Ninjaras priorities.

"W-where is Spring..?!"

Mechanica stopped whining long enough to talk to the ninja. "Last we were told hes in rehab recovering from some head trauma. Most damage he sustained was his left arm being broken, or in his case disabled, from landing on it wrong."

Hearing that managed to calm the college student down. He leaned back into the pillow and sighed. Although it felt nice to hear Spring would be ok, another part of him felt... Unsure about it. Mostly because they hadn't been able to talk before this incident. He sat up slightly, looking around the room.

"Am I allowed to get up..?"

"Doc said if you do you have to use a wheelchair. Said moving your body wrong could cause the surgery wound to get worse." Min Min crossed her arms.

_That's fucking great..._ "Can one of you take me to his room then? I need to talk to him..."

Min Min began to wheel Ninjara to Springs room, noticing he looked super nervous, fiddling with his thumbs and staying silent the whole time.

"Guessing its about what happened a week or so ago, right?"

"... Yeah... When I went the first time, he refused to talk to me..."

Min sighed. "I know Ninjara, you told me at Mintendo. I dont have shit memory"

He looked down, silent once again. And he would stay like that until Min Min stopped pushing him and walked into a hospital room, most likely to tell Spring he was there. Once she came back out, she sighed.

"Hes in a bit of a mood, so watch out."

"Right.." Ninjara took it from there and rolled inside, letting Min walk away as he pushed the door open and closed it without slipping up and getting the wheels caught. Wasn't the first time he was restricted to a wheelchair when visiting someone, so he knew how to go about doing certain things when in one.

The air was clearly tense, the faint sound of a beeping monitor being the only thing keeping things from being completely silent. Ninjaras eyes followed a long looking chord to the man he wanted to see, staring out the window in a hospital gown and leaning on the wall. His left arm was put into a sling as well as what looked like some sort of fabric keeping his arm in tact and recoiled. He didnt appear to notice Ninjara came in just yet, but he appeared to be twitching.

".. Spring... We need to talk..." Ninjara rolled forward slightly, keeping a distance between them in case Spring was still pissed about what he had seen.

He could hear the man weakly let out a sigh. "S-sure... Go ahead..."

Ninjara sighed as he began to explain the whole story back to him. Spring listened with every word, silent as ever, and still shivering, as he let the ninja speak.

He had been crying this whole time, since the moment he woke up, because he had been told by some stubborn nurse that Ninjara... Well... Didn't make it out of surgery. He was happy to see Ninjara alive, yeah, but at the same time he knew one thing he would ask. However, he said nothing as he heard the full story.

"You see, Spring...? It wasn't a confession to Min... She was helping me and told me to be blunt instead of lead into it... I didnt mean to hurt you like this..."

"... Then who...?"

"Huh?" Ninjara tilted his head.

"... Who was it for then...? If it wasn't for Min Min...?" Spring finally had the courage to face Ninjara after all this time, eyes red and tears soaking his cheeks.

The silent tense air was super palpable to both men. After all this time, they finally got to see each other in an environment where their lives weren't on the line, and yet... It still felt like if they waited too long something could go wrong. One wrong word, one wrong bit of movement or one wrong action, and it could all be over, and this would be the last time they would be able to talk this casually.

Ninjara sighed. "If you explain what you meant a week ago by getting drunk, I'll say..."

_Knew he'd ask..._ Spring sighed and walked back to the bed, sitting down on the edge. "Its.... Its a rough story to talk about to be honest..."

"Why?"

"Because I kept it a secret for a reason... I didnt want to destroy what little friendship we had..." He looked down with a sigh, arms starting to shake.

Spring jumped slightly when he suddenly felt Ninjara take his hand after rolling over to calm him down.

"Go ahead, Spring... I wont get mad... Promise..."

Springman sighed, and decided to take his turn telling his story. It made him feel sick to his stomach to bring it back, and even he admitted to Ninjara some memories were super fuzzy after he got super drunk. And every time he got to a rather adult detail, he would make sure it was still just them, and then say what it was, although it caused him to shiver and sniffle. He sighed weakly as he finally finished talking, hands covering his face.

"I-I'm so sorry Ninjara.... I kept it f-from you because.... Because well I... I-i didnt want to hurt you... I knew saying something would break us up further... It was a stupid dick move and I didnt mean to do that...! I just thought it would be a nice way to end the night and instead I fucking raped you...!"

Ninjara looked at Spring, completely shocked by what he had just heard. However, he didnt get mad - as promised - and he pulled Springman into a hug to comfort him.

"T-the night you showed up to talk, I was t-trying to just make things better and drink it again to kill myself..."

"What..?!"

"Twintelle s-said it wasn't wise to drink it again because it could r-r-run the risk of killing me... But you caught me before I c-could do it..." Springman began to shiver as his mind finally began to realize just how much it would affect everybody if he did get the chance to drink the alcohol he had been warned to avoid.

Ninjara sighed, patting Springman on the back.

"W-well.... Don't you have something to tell me too...?" He was trying to not sound rude, but the words he chose came off as a cruel comment.

Ninjara didnt appear to mind as he helped Springman to his feet and stood up himself, not caring if his bullet wound got worse. If he was going to say anything, he was going to say it now before it was too late. After letting Springman calm down a moment, he sighed.

"I wasn't confessing to Min Min... It wasn't for Twintelle, Ribbon, Mech, none of them..."

"W-well I'd be half tempted to slap you if it was Mech.." Spring tried to comment to make himself laugh to stop crying, but instead it made him twitch as he nervously chuckled.

Ninjara lifted his hands up and wiped away any tears that fell. "T-the.... The person I was going to confess to was.... Was you..."

Spring felt his nerves lock up at Ninjaras words, unable to say anything. He watched as the ninja took a shaky breath and appeared to gain his composure. Until finally...

"Spring..... N_no... Jacob.... I love you..."

The taller mans eyes stared, wide with shock and disbelief. He actually said it, and yet... To hear it personally almost sent him to tears. Spring almost fell to his knees before Ninjara caught him.

"Are you ok...?"

Spring choked on his quiet laughter a moment. "I-I'm fine... I just never thought I'd... I'd ever hear that from you..."

Ninjara tilted his head as if to ask indirectly why that was. And Spring noticed it instantly.

"Because I l-love you too..."

"Really..?" Ninjara took his turn at widening his eyes.

Springman nodded weakly, a quivering smile on his face as his eyes watered over and tears fell to the ground.

And with nothing left to say, the two men started to laugh and cry all at once, pulling each other into a warm embrace as the sun began to slowly set outside the window, casting the rehab room into a faint pink glow. It was almost perfect, except for one thing. Once both men pulled their heads away from the embrace to look at each other square in the eyes, they finally sealed the deal and leaned in to finally be able to connect lips like they were meant to.

Spring gently stroked through Ninjaras loose green hair as the ninja in his arms held him close to prevent the kiss from ending too soon. They only stopped every so often to catch their breath before going back in again. Tears were shed, romantic interactions were exchanged even if they were limited by Ninjara's bullet wound, and the sunset cascaded light in to make the scene more intimate. Both men finally got to exchange their feelings to the other.

Finally, once they pulled away again to catch their breath, Ninjara broke the silence to make one single comment. "G-guess Maybelle did something right for once..."

"Hm..?"

".. She finally brought the both of us together.." Ninjara smiled up at Springman, causing the bouncer's heart to melt at the sight.

Spring chuckled a bit as he brought his hand to the pale mans cheek to gently stroke it with his thumb. "Guess so...~"

Spring leaned back in to kiss Ninjara again, purring as he stepped backwards towards the bed and pulled Ninjara on top of him, arms around the mans neck. Once Ninjara pulled away, Spring chuckled with a huff.

"Can you promise me something..?"

"Whats that..?" Ninjara looked down at Spring, starry eyed.

"We never fight like we did before today ever again...? At least towards each other...?"

"Deal.~" Ninjara smiled, leaning in to kiss Springman's forehead, pulling a laugh from the man.

And after that, they said nothing as they laid down in the hospital bed and hugged it out.

The pain was finally over, and they could finally be together in each others arms, warm and snug, smiles on their faces at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaaaaay! They did iiiiiiiit!
> 
> And next chapter should be an epilogue and thats the end. It was a long time coming, but in all honesty, it was a blast! (Although real life and Writers Block didnt help XD)
> 
> Glad you guys got to enjoy the ride, and lets enjoy one more moment before we hit the road for the sequel!


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Grand Prix finale is finally upon them
> 
> But what actions will make this one so memorable? Even if its to a select few?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter, folks! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did typing it!

_**Five Months Later...** _

The main area of the ARMS League was packed with fans today, eager to see the finals for the Grand Prix. They had started at least a month ago, giving the fighters a weeks break before. And although today was no different, there was something on the line. It could either be just another normal ARMS Grand Prix, or the end of an era for the current champion.

And the match? The Bouncer, Springman, and The Commish, Max Brass.

Springman was busy showering in the locker rooms before the big event, nerves shot and legs shivering. He was excited for the match, sure, but it would be nerve-racking if he managed to change history for the ARMS League, and thats what had him shivering. However, he had the support he needed to take his opponent head on. And it wasn't just the usual friendly support, although he didnt mind it in the slightest. It was another factor that played in that helped keep him calm and collected.

"You done in there already?"

And as if on cue, a familiar Japanese accented voice chimed into the shower area. Spring turned around and smiled when he saw the man he was just thinking of step in, only wearing his fighter uniform pants and what looked to be a tight plastic cover over his arms. Although, it was what he usually did when he was near some kind of water, so it wasn't abnormal to see.

"Was actually just thinkin' about ya." Spring chuckled as he watched the man step in, pulling his pants off completely and tossing them aside to join him in the shower.

"Your going to waste your energy washing yourself if you dont finish soon..."

"Oh come on! Isn't that bad Im trying to wash off the sweat and nerves!"

Ninjara sighed, grabbing a bar of soap. "Just turn around so I can help you..."

"Alright alright I get it." Spring snickered one final time, turning so his back faced the man with him in the shower. His body flinched slightly when the cold bar suddenly touched his back, but he calmed down in a matter of seconds.

Spring and Ninjara had started dating a couple days after they were discharged from the hospital, and it simply blossomed from there to this point. Although, it was Spring that had to ask Ninjara since Min Min spilled to him that the ninja was too cowardly to ask despite being the first one to say those three words when they finally got time to themselves. And the past few months of finally being together as a couple were some of the best of their lives. They did have some simple boundaries, as well as moments where they de stressed to the other in hopes of calming down (and it wasn't physical fighting dont worry), but other than that it was a fairly healthy relationship they had set for themselves.

Ninjara set the bar of soap aside and rubbed Springs back to lather it up a bit so it got decently washed, noticing he didnt appear to mind the plastic coating on his hands. "You used to me washing you with plastic?"

"Yeah. Besides, as long as I know its you, Im fine.~" Spring looked over his shoulder, smiling to the shorter man with a slight pink dust glossing his cheeks.

The ninja shrugged, getting up on his tip toes to kiss the back of the taller mans neck, his cheeks starting to flush when he heard a content sigh come from the soaked fighter he was helping to wash.

"Also, you said there was something you had for me after the fight, right?" Ninjara tilted his head to the side, resting his chin on the other mans shoulder a moment so he could hear him answer better over the spraying shower.

Spring chuckled at the question. "Well yeah, but I cant tell you yet. I want it to be a surprise."

"Im not good with surprises remember..."

"You'll like this one, I promise." He turned around, smiling as he tilted the shorter mans head up and leaned in to smooch him, chuckling to himself when a soft purr tickled both their lips.

But then, their little moment together was cut short by a voice suddenly coming through a speaker near the showers.

_"Will The Bouncer Springman please report to the Sky Arena for the Grand Prix Finale?"_

Spring shrugged as he turned the shower off. "Guess Biff needs me for the final match."

But when he went to leave, Ninjara stopped him a moment. "Hold it right there, Jacob..."

The taller man looked back to the ninja keeping him hostage in the shower area.

"At least dry off and get dressed first, your not fighting Max Brass nude."

And after that, both men cracked up laughing as Spring did as asked by Ninjara, drying off his skin and ARMS and dressing up in his usual fighting gear.

\-----

Ninjara felt his breath hitch in his throat as he gripped the bars tightly within the visitors box. His hair was starting to fall in his face and he had to wipe his face a couple of times with his hoodie sleeve. He was never this tense on something like a test or within a spar match himself, but something about watching Spring throwing all he had at the undefeated champion of the ARMS League and being on the cusp of winning and losing really drove his mind wild. And yet mere minutes before he walked out onto the arena floor, he vowed to Ninjara he would win if it was the last thing he did.

_I hope I can hold you to those words, Springman..._

His entire body flinched back when he noticed his boyfriend being flung into the ground after being grabbed without a single warning. He was close to fainting at this point, and yet he kept going until they were both at a stalemate. All Ninjara could do was listen to Biff commentate.

"And it looks like both men have stopped combating! Their on the edge and cant appear to gain the momentum to tank the other! What actions will they be taking to win the day, folks?! Will The Commish be able to snatch another win or will The Bouncer finally bring a legacy to a close?"

The ninjas eyes widened when he looked back and saw Spring starting to get back up on his feet, brow sweating and a glowing red aura surrounding him. Ninjara knew what that was all too well - his secret weapon: a permanent charge on his gloves.

And after a long, painful moment of silence...

... Unable to hear nothing but the panting from both men...

It happened

Biff screamed into the microphone with genuine shock and awe. "AND THE BOUNCER MANAGES TO KNOCK THE COMMISH TO THE GROUND, EARNING HIM THE WIN AS THE NEW GRAND PRIX CHAMPION!!!"

Ninjara uncovered his eyes, having covered them out of fright. He stared with wide eyes as Springman appeared to regain composure and perked up with a smile at the realization. He won. He actually won!

However, to play it fair, he took off one of his gloves and reached out to help Max Brass back up to his feet. The man laughed heartily and congratulated Springman for a job well done.

And it didnt take long after that for Max to move aside so Ninjara could sprint towards Spring and lock arms with his lover, laughing like he never had before as tears ran down his face. Spring hugged him back, laughing alongside him as his brow continued to sweat from the combat he underwent. He fulfilled his promise to Ninjara without fail, even if it meant taking wounds to achieve it.

\-----

It felt like a slight relief to finally wind down from the excitement of the brawl that had gone on to end the Grand Prix and mark a new legacy for the League as a whole. However, it wasn't time to completely wind down just yet.

After the big match, and after Spring and Max got a chance to properly come out of their adrenaline high, the league decided to host a party at a local night club to celebrate, with all the fighters in attendance - even Mechanica (and yes, they made sure to go to one that was kid friendly so she could join the festivities). Everyone was there, and in their best attire they could muster for party wear.

Ninjara sat on the side, wearing a black and green kimono with his hair tied back into a gentle man bun, some specks of his green hair still against his head and underneath the ponytail he used. However, it felt like something was missing as he took a sip of some bubble tea he ordered.

"Still forlorn in the corner I see. Heheh.~"

Ah there it was. Ninjara looked up as the familiar blue haired man he held so dear walked over, wearing a flannel jacket with some neatly torn up jeans, of course not so many rips that they weren't wearable, and some combat boots on his feet, his usually spring shaped hair let out and styled so it fell to the right side of his face.

The ninja chuckled. "Nah... Was just waiting for you. It can get pretty lonely and quiet, you know?"

The man nodded, leaning against the wall beside him, dusting off the flannel he wore. "Anyways... Happy I kept my end of the bargain?"

"I didnt expect you to manage a victory such as that. It was quite the sight, I'll say that much."

Both men chuckled to themselves as they talked some more, Spring teasing Ninjara at one point by asking for a heavy drink, only to pat him in the shoulder and actually get a cola instead.

"Should've seen your face, Jara!" Spring kept chuckling. "You looked genuinely freaked out!"

"Don't do that to me ever again, please..."

"Sorry for trying to lighten up the mood. Heheh!" Spring took a sip of his cola as he kept chuckling about Ninjaras casual pout expression.

Soon enough, the music began to pump up as Spring noticed everyone was dancing to it. He set the cola aside and held a hand out to Ninjara. "How about it?"

"Spring... You know I cant dance..." Ninjara looked away, embarrassed to admit that fact.

"Don't worry. This isn't a waltz or anything like that. Its just a freestyle boogie. And if you need help, I got you." Spring smiled at him warmly, keeping his hand extended.

And after a minute of waiting, Springman finally got to yank the ninja out to the dance floor to dance with him, another achievement in his eyes.

Spring managed to keep in tune with the music, swinging Ninjara around to help get him in the groove. Ninjara eventually managed to time his movements with Springs, and even managed to dance a little bit during the whole exchange. They laughed and danced until finally, Spring pulled Ninjara aside so the mans legs could get a break. They sat down in a couple of chairs after grabbing their drinks, worn out and laughing while out of breath.

"O-ok... That was kind of fun..." Ninjara couldn't wipe the smile he had off his face.

Spring nodded, taking a sip of his cola. "See? Its fun! You should find ways to dance more often!"

The shorter man shrugged a moment, then noticed after Spring calmed down he stood up.

"Anyways... Can I ask you something..? Its... Kind of important..." His tone had suddenly turned fairly serious, and it made Ninjara a bit scared. _This isn't like Spring..._

Ninjara stood up as well. "Um... Ok? What is it?"

Spring took Ninjaras hands in his own and sighed. "Before I say it... Please dont get mad or freak out, ok...?"

The ninja silently nodded, trying to figure out the sudden serious tone. "Alright... Shoot."

The taller man took in a shaky breath, appearing to suddenly grow nervous out of his mind, his grip tightening. "W-well... I guess to start... Its been a wonderful ride to finally be with you as more than friends... I thought it wouldn't happen and you'd fall for someone else. And even if our relationship started off a bit rocky because of a mistake, I dont care anymore... Your one of the greatest things to enter my life and it feels like a pain any time I feel like Im close to losing you."

Ninjara tilted his head to the side a moment, trying to figure out what Spring had in mind. It was clear it wasn't anything bad like he originally thought, so that was a plus, but he still didnt know what Spring wanted to talk about. Was this it? Or was there more to it?

Before his mind could try to come up with other ideas for what was going on, he snapped back to reality as he noticed Spring suddenly got down on one knee, still holding his hands a bit longer before moving them to his flannel pocket. It made Ninjara jump and his heart start to hammer in his chest, ready to burst out through his skin if it went any faster.

Spring chuckled. "And... Well... I've been thinking about this for a couple of months... But I thought tonight would be the right night to finally ask..."

He pulled his hand out of his flannel pocket after a few seconds of silence, covering whatever he had with his other hand before finally holding it up to Ninjara to reveal a black velvet box. He gently opened it with one of his fingers to reveal a shiny silver ring with a shiny green and pink gem in the center of it, sparkling as some of the night club lights began to hit it.

"S-Spring...?" Ninjaras eyes began to water over as he stared at it, covering his mouth with his metal hands as he stared wide eyed at the ring in front of him.

And after a moment of clearly trying to say it without feeling awkward, Spring finally whispered under his breath so only Ninjara could hear. "... W-Will.... Will you marry me...?"

The ninja had to pause a moment, staring at the man in front of him, down on one knee, holding out a ring to him and asking to be with him for the rest of his life. It felt like his heart was melting at the sight from how genuine it sounded and how professional it looked. It caught him completely off guard. Soon, he finally gave his answer, although it was muffled with tears and his hands.

Spring chuckled, starting to tear up himself. "U-um... Can't hear ya, Jara."

"... Y...." He spoke a bit louder, but it still trailed off.

"Ninjara?"

And after another second, Spring tightened his grip on the box as he suddenly felt Ninjara basically fall into his arms with a faint quiet chuckle, holding him tightly, almost as if the thought of letting go was considered a crime.

"Y-yes you big idiot...." He finally spoke loud enough so the taller man could hear him despite the tears and the fact he had his face pressed into the mans chest.

Both men shared an embrace, some tears, and faint chuckles as they stayed there on their knees a bit longer. Once they finally pulled away enough to see each other face to face, Spring brought the box back and took the ring out, helping Ninjara to slide it on his right ring finger.

"I... I l-love you, Spring..." Ninjara smiled up at him, trying not to cry anymore.

The Bouncer wiped away his tears with the pad of his thumb, chuckling. "I love you too... Although now your stuck with me."

Ninjara grabbed him by the collar of his flannel and yanked him into a sudden kiss, but neither man seemed to care as they shared a tender moment to themselves, the others busy doing their own thing and not taking notice - say for one. Ribbon looked over to them, smiling as she mouthed a quick 'Im proud of you, buddy..' to her childhood bestie when she noticed he looked her way a moment.

Once they pulled away, the shorter man smiled up at his now fiancee, whispering under his breath before sharing another embrace.

"I wouldn't have it any other way...~"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thats a wrap, folks
> 
> Don't worry about this all being over, cause as I promised, there should be a sequel coming out soon featuring a little girl I created all on my own for the two of them!
> 
> It was a blast to write this (even if it was my first post and I suck at writing romances-), and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed attempting it!
> 
> See you soon!


End file.
